Capt. Dassanayake holds a Commercial Pilot License with Instrument Rating and Multi-Engine Rating from the FAA in the USA. Additionally, he has earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from EduLink International in Colombo and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Northampton in the UK.
He has accumulated a total of nine years of experience at AAC, starting as a Theoretical Knowledge Instructor from 2006 to 2008. He then advanced to a dual role as a Flight Instructor and Theoretical Knowledge Instructor from 2008 to 2011. He served as the Head of Training and Chief Flight Instructor from 2013 to 2016 and returned to the Head of Training position in 2023, continuing in this role through 2025.
Among his notable achievements, Capt. Dassanayake began his aviation career as a PPL student at AAC and secured his first job as a Theoretical Knowledge Instructor at AAC in 2006. By 2013, he had risen to become the Head of Training. He has amassed over 4,000 flying hours as a Flight Instructor and is rated on five types of aircraft: Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Piper Tomahawk PA 38, Piper Arrow PA 28R and Beech Travel Air BE 95.