Emirates Unveils New Appointments for Maldives & Sri Lanka Operations

Sunday 18th of June 2023

The award-winning airline, Emirates has announced key rotations in its commercial management team across operations, bringing new appointments to the Indian Ocean. The organizational moves seen across its West and Central Asia, Indian Ocean, and Far East operations are in line with the airline’s strategy to consolidate its presence in key markets across its global network.

Under this change, two commercial team members who will be assuming new roles in the Maldives Operations are Chandana De Silva, appointed Manager Government Liaison of Sri Lanka and Maldives and Rashid Al Ardha, appointed Manager of Sri Lanka and Maldives. Both these individuals will be stepping into their new positions effective from 1 August 2023.

As Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives, Rashid will be responsible for supporting Emirates’ commercial goals, overseeing the airline’s operations on both island nations, and maintaining integral relations with various stakeholders. At the moment, he is serving as the Country Manager Singapore & Brunei and will continue to report to Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations – West Asia and Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, Chandana de Silva will bring his garnered experience and expertise of the Maldivian and Sri Lankan aviation industries to his role, leveraging and facilitating it to further lead the growth of Emirates’ operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Since joining Emirates in 2008, Chandana de Silva has played an instrumental role in carrying forward the airline’s operations, driving growth and strengthening the Emirates’ footprint in the country in the past 15 years.

Ahmed Khoory, SVP of Commercial Operations-West Asia and Indian Ocean said: “I would like to wholeheartedly thank Chandana for his contributions to Emirates’ success in both Sri Lanka and Maldives during his tenure as Country Manager. We wish him continued achievements in this new and important role where he will dedicate his efforts to nurturing long-standing relationships with government stakeholders and authorities and pivot his invaluable experience gained over an illustrious career with us.”

He added, “I would also like to congratulate Rashid on his new post and wish him luck in this new role. Rashid’s experience in various markets will bring a new perspective to how we serve customers and overcome unique challenges faced by the industry,”