Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva has appointed a team to investigate air accidents in Sri Lanka’s airspace for the first time. Accordingly, letters of appointment were given today to the first batch of Air Accidents Investigators and thereby, seven Air Accident Investigators received letters of appointment from the Minister. This is the first time in history Sri Lankan aviation services sector Air Accident Investigators were appointed to identify accurate information, investigate the true cause of air crashes and take necessary action to prevent any future disasters in Sri Lanka’s airspace. The Minister said that the regulatory role of the global aviation sector is performed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the regulatory activities of the Sri Lankan aviation sector should follow the ICAO standards. “For so long, there was no institution or proper program to accurately conduct investigations of accidents involving aircraft had taken place in the domestic airspace,” the Minister said. He said after an in depth study into the matter, steps have been taken by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka to form an independent pool of Air Accident Investigators is a giant leap forward for the elevation of the Sri Lankan aviation sector. Letters of appointments were awarded today (16th March 2023) to the first batch of Air Accident Investigators who would take over to investigate air accidents in the Sri Lankan airspace. The function took place with the initiative of. Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala De Silva, at the Ministry Auditorium This is the first time in the history Sri Lankan aviation services sector, Air Accident Investigators were appointed to identify accurate information, investigate to the true cause of air accidents and take necessary actions to prevent any future disasters in the Sri Lankan airspace. “Therefore, immediate steps will be taken to amend the Aviation Act to establish the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau for these activities without delay,” the Minister said. Training for Air Accident Investigators is conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka adhered to the standards stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The team will be operated as an independent body under the purview of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation emphasizes that the team operated under the Ministry at present, will be established as an Accident Investigation Bureau in future.