COLOMBO, September 9 (ePRESS) – The Cabinet has approved the appointment of Captain Daminda Rambukwella as the new Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL).
Capt. Rambukwella is a veteran aviation professional with more than 25 years of service. He has wide experience in flight safety, aircraft operations, airworthiness, licensing, accident investigation, safety management, rulemaking, and regulatory compliance.
Before this appointment, he was the Deputy Director General (Flight Safety Regulation) and also served as Acting Director of Aircraft Operations at CAASL. He began his career as a Flight Operations Inspector, working on both international and domestic airline operations and fuel management during crises.
He holds a valid Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) with an Airbus A320 rating. His flying career covers thousands of hours on aircraft ranging from the small Cessna 150 to the Airbus A320, as well as MA 60, Y-12, and Beechcraft 200. Over the years, he has worked as a Flight Instructor, Check Pilot, Accident Investigator, Examiner, Chief Pilot Training & Standards, and Lecturer at universities.
Capt. Rambukwella also has strong academic qualifications, including a Master’s Degree from the University of Gloucestershire (UK), a postgraduate qualification in Management from the University of Kelaniya, and a Bachelor of Science from the Kotelawala Defense University. He has further qualifications in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the University of Colombo.
Internationally, he has worked closely with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and regional bodies such as the ICAO Asia Pacific Regional Aviation Safety Team (APRAST).
At the national level, he contributed to drafting Sri Lanka’s National Civil Aviation Master Plan and the National Aviation Safety Plan, marking his role as a key figure in shaping aviation policy.
