The Sri Lanka Air Force Women's Wing was established in 1987. The wing keeps service records of all airwomen and female officers, makes promotional lists of them, issues their identity cards, makes their annual assessments (performance reports). The wing also looks after female officers welfare and is very supportive if any female officer faces any problem. The wing provides comprehensive assistance and support to airwomen who are pregnant.
The wing was created on 3 September 1987 and the first commanding officer of this wing was Air Commodore D.S.G. Vithana, at that time the wing office was situated in Colombo.
In the Sri Lanka Air Force, women are not trained separately, they are trained together with men. Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Paddy Mendis (who commanded the air force from 1971 to 1976) envisioned the recruitment of women into the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Commanding Officers of the SLAF Women's Wing include: Air Vice Marshal G. D. Perera (? – 1 August 2002) Group Captain (later Air Commodore) M. H. Karannagoda (2 August 2002 – 2003)
The history of women's first induction into the Sri Lanka Air Force In 1972, four women joined as pilot officers into the Sri Lanka Air Force who were trained in SLAF Katunayake for some weeks, this was the first time in the history of the Sri Lanka Air Force that women wore air force uniforms, the women were posted in air force headquarters. In January 1983, the first batch of airwomen were taken into the Sri Lanka Air Force. First female firefighting unit of the air force was created in 1997 with 30 airwomen firefighters, these airwomen retired after 15 years in 2012.Retirement of airwomen firefighters - Sri Lanka Air Force, 30 May 2012 In 2008, seven airwomen completed paratroopers course. In 2019, two women officers and seven airwomen became members of the Special Airborne Force. Also in the same year, one female officer and one airwoman were trained in Britain's Army School of Ceremonial. In 1998, during the Sri Lankan civil war, the Sri Lanka Air Force took decision to recruit women for the pilots' branch for flying transport aircraft, 800 women applied for 33 vacancies available at that time,Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada, "Sri Lanka: Organization and structure of the Sri Lankan Airforce including ranks, units, squadrons and the duties assigned to different personnel; location of squadrons and departments", UNHCR Refworld, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 14 March 2001. however, the recruitment process was later cancelled. In 2020, for the first time, two women were commissioned as pilots from the Air Force Academy, China Bay. In 2023, three women were air commodores in the Sri Lanka Air Force, among them two were directors in the air force headquarters.
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