COLOMBO: India has congratulated Sri Lanka Air Force for commissioning two women pilots for the first time in its history.
The Indian High Commission here said in a statement that commissioning of flying officers ADPL Gunaratne and RT Weerawaradena on Monday was a matter of great pride and happiness not only for Sri Lanka but for India too.
"Both the officers were trained in the 204th pilot course of the Indian Air Force Academy at Hyderabad from July 2018 to June 2019," the statement said.
It said the training was one of the strongest pillars of bilateral cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.
"More than half of military training slots in India for foreign countries are provided to Sri Lanka," it said.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa too offered his congratulations to the two officers on their commissioning.
In November 2009, President Rajapaksa's niece Madini Chandradasa created history as the co-pilot in Sri Lanka's first all female commercial flight crew.
She and Anusha Siriratne had operated a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from Colombo to Trichy.