Civil Aviation Authority gets a new Additional Director General

Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Upul Dharmadasa handing over the letter of appointment to P.A. Jayakantha, flanked by DGCA and CEO Capt. Themiya Abeywickrama, Vice Chairman Amitha Wijesuriya, Actg. DDG (Corporate Affairs Division) Rehan Wanniyappa and Director HR and Property Management Shermila Magamamudali

The Chairman and the Board of Directors including the Director General of Civil Aviation/Chief Executive Officer have unanimously chosen a career person, versatile in aviation regulatory and the industry, for the post of Additional Director General for Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL), recently. 

P.A. Jayakantha, formerly a commissioned officer in the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF-V) turned airline management officer at SriLankan Airlines and the national civil aviation inspector at CAASL who has risen in the ladder to held the post of Deputy Director General (Aviation Security Regulation) took up the office of new Additional Director General at the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL). 

Jayakantha, in his academic qualifications holds an especial degree in economics at the Colombo University and the post graduate (Masters) of the Kelaniya University on the subject of economics. 

He counts a wealth of experience in the civil aviation regulatory work and have been appointed ICAO accredited international auditor for civil aviation security, one and only the Sri Lankan to be appointed whose services made available to the ICAO as a subject matter expert, part time, thus expose himself to the international civil aviation arena, experiencing the technical developments and best practices in the aviation industry bringing many expertise to Sri Lanka. 

He was instrumental in reformation of the National Civil Aviation Security Committee (NCASC), reestablishment of the National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) and appointment of a group of trained Senior Police Officers as Hostage Negotiators for aircraft hijacking situations under the guidance of Secretary Defence and Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation respectively to name few achievements.

Jayakantha is involved and contributes towards many social service activities and programs, be it at the work place and or the village and in recognition he had been appointed as a Justice of Peace (all island) by the Ministry of Justice. Receiving National Honors he is titled Deshabandu and Deshakeerthie.

Both civil aviation industry and the regulatory body welcomes his new role as the Additional Director General of Civil Aviation, in the employment category of other than DGCA at the civil aviation authority, under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.