SriLankan Airlines Alleges Rs 2.2 Cr Fraud by Chennai Finance Staff

SriLankan Airlines has accused several employees at its Chennai office of allegedly misappropriating funds worth Rs 2.2 Crores through fraudulent manipulation of financial records, the airline said in a statement issued on Saturday.

According to the airline, the accused were all Indian nationals working in the finance department of its Chennai office. The employees allegedly diverted company funds over a period of time by altering invoices, payment details and signatures .

The airline, however, did not disclose the exact number of employees involved or specify the duration over which the alleged fraud took place.

“With regard to the misappropriation of funds at SriLankan Airlines’ office in Chennai, the airline wishes to inform that a few employees are alleged to have misappropriated a total of INR 2.2 Crores,” the statement said.

The carrier added that the suspected fraud was detected internally and has since been reported to Indian law enforcement authorities . Investigations are currently underway to identify the full extent of the alleged financial irregularities and recover the lost funds.

The airline did not reveal whether any of the accused employees have been suspended, terminated or arrested so far.

In the same statement, SriLankan Airlines also referred to a separate incident involving an erroneous payment made to a service provider in the UAE after one of its email accounts was reportedly compromised, indicating broader concerns over financial and cybersecurity controls.

The latest development comes as airlines globally continue to tighten internal compliance and cybersecurity measures amid rising cases of financial fraud and digital breaches targeting corporate operations.