The story of the Russian plane

The Russian plane came because of the assurance given by the government that the assurance was given without even informing the Attorney General. This detention leads to a diplomatic crisis! Former Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga speaks

A Russian Airways flight Aeroflot has been detained in Sri Lanka by a court order despite the Russian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issuing a written assurance to the Russian government that it will not arrest any aircraft arriving in Sri Lanka from Russia. Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga says that there is a possibility that the level relations could be damaged.

Speaking to Lankasara, he said that with the suspension of the airline's service, the number of Russian tourists visiting Sri Lanka will be reduced and the tourism industry will not be adversely affected.

When asked about Udayanga Weeratunga's involvement in importing the airline to Sri Lanka, he said that the aircraft had been detained in Sri Lanka on a court order as a result of the actions taken by European countries and companies against Aeroflot.

He explained:

"With the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russian Aeroflot aircraft have been banned from airports in European countries. In addition, most of the aircraft currently owned by Russian Airlines are leased aircraft owned by companies in European countries. They have entered into agreements to operate the relevant services by paying lease installments on these aircraft. “

Passengers disembarking after detention

What happened to Aeroflot during the Ukraine war?

"Following the Russian offensive against Ukraine, European countries imposed various sanctions on Russia. As a result, many European companies unilaterally terminated existing agreements with Aeroflot. After that they ask for their planes. But Aeroflot has not agreed to cancel these unilateral agreements. As a result, Aeroflot had to suspend flights to nearly a thousand airports. ”

"By this time the flights between Sri Lanka and Russia had stopped. I also intervened and re-launched Air Swa on the 8th of April. They fly three times a week from Moscow. Recently, SriLankan Airlines planes arrived in Sri Lanka.

The mistake we made

In the midst of this process, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka on March 6 assured the Russian Aviation Authority that no Russian aircraft arriving in Sri Lanka would be detained or detained.

Due to the risk of arrest, Do Russia sent a leased aircraft from Moscow for the last three flights. However, an Irish company that had leased its Airbus aircraft to Aeroflot in the background has obtained an order from the Colombo Commercial Court restraining the flight.

Certificate given by us ..

What the Civil Aviation Authority should not do

It is risky for the Civil Aviation Authority to guarantee that such an arrest will not be made. They did so without consulting the Attorney General's Department or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In this situation there has been a breakdown in the diplomatic mind. However, Aeroflot has suspended its flights due to this process. Although a plane with 275 passengers was scheduled to arrive in the country yesterday, they canceled it and sent an empty plane to Sri Lanka. Stay in Sri Lanka and take Russian nationals and tourists to that country, ”he said.

Weeratunga said that about 2,500 Russian tourists are currently staying in Sri Lanka for a two- to three-week holiday.

Mr. Weeratunga also said that if this issue is not resolved soon, it will inevitably have a detrimental effect on the tourism industry on the one hand and diplomatic relations between the two countries on the other.