Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said that Sri Lanka is one of the safest places in the world today. Addressing the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) Asia Pacific Conference in Colombo he told the foreign delegates, 'you are in one of the safest countries in the world today as this is a country where terrorism has been completely eradicated and total peace has been gained.'

Mr Jayaratne added that the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has now embarked on a massive economic development which will derive benefits cutting across all communities and peripherals. “The confidence that people have explicitly expressed is evident in the landslide mandate given to us in both presidential and parliamentary elections,” the Prime Minister said.

Addressing the gathering, Vipula Wanigasekera, GM of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau said, “this is a prestigious Conference and we, being the Government arm for the promotion of Conferences and Exhibitions under the Ministry of Economic Development, provided all the support to the host Sarath Fernando, CEO of SriLankan Catering Services and his team, not only to bring the conference into Sri Lanka but also to make it a success by adding value with a flavour of Sri Lankan Culture.”

International Flight Services Association caters to the needs and interests of airline and railway personnel, thus enhancing and advancing the art of the in flight and railway onboard services. The Association has created a global forum in this field providing a variety of services from research to development of this industry.

The 3-day conference, with educational sessions, competitions, panel discussions, apart from other formal activities is attended by top professionals in the airline and relevant industries.