Why SriLankan Airlines Was Sold For Just $53 Million

In 2010, Emirates sold its stake in SriLankan Airlines for just $53 million. That was a third of what it had been valued at two years earlier, and less than Emirates paid in 1998. Emirates had spent a decade running the airline, survived a terrorist attack on its fleet, and kept paying dividends to the Sri Lankan Treasury. So why did it leave, and why has nobody wanted to buy SriLankan since? The answer starts on a fully booked London to Colombo flight in December 2007, when CEO Peter Hill refused to clear 35 seats for the president. From there, the story moves through an alleged Airbus bribery case, a $98 million penalty, failed sales in 2017 and 2024, and an airline that still depends on government money in 2026. Should Sri Lanka keep funding its national airline, or hand it to someone who can run it? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe for weekly aviation business stories. #SriLankanAirlines #Emirates #Aviation #Avgeek #SriLanka #AviationBusiness Credits: All footage is used in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). Full credit goes to the original creators. Fair Use Disclaimer: This channel uses short excerpts of copyrighted video content under the Fair Use doctrine (Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act) for purposes such as commentary, criticism, and education. The clips are used with original commentary and do not substitute the original works. All rights remain with the respective copyright holders.