COLOMBO: Aeroflot has suspended its flights to Sri Lanka after the island nation’s aviation authority prevented a flight of Russia’s flag carrier to depart the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) after a court order.
The Airbus A330-343 operated by Russian state-owned airline Aeroflot was denied permission to fly to Moscow as scheduled on June 2 amid a legal dispute with a leasing company, and as Western sanctions continue to disrupt Russia’s travel industry. The flight had more than 200 passengers onboard, who have been put up at a hotel by Aeroflot pending resolution of the matter.
Ireland’s Celestial Aviation Trading Limited, one of the largest plane-leasing firms, is seeking to confiscate the jet after Russia failed to return its property.
A statement from the Airport and Aviation Services of Sri Lanka (AAS) said the flight was not allowed to depart due to an enjoining order issued by the Commercial High Court of Colombo on June 2. AAS said the High Court Judge has clarified that there was no Enjoining Order and any type of Interim Injunction issued against AAS, the 2nd Defendant or State.
It was also noted by Sri Lankan authorities that the dispute between the Aeroflot – Russian Airlines and Celestial Aviation Trading Limited was purely of a commercial nature which should be dealt between the said two parties and no involvement of the State was emphasized. Accordingly, the matter was fixed for objections of the parties and for hearing on 08 June.
Aeroflot has announced that the Russian national carrier is suspending commercial flights to Colombo for the immediate period due to “an unreliable situation in terms of the airline’s unobstructed flights to Sri Lanka.”
“Ticket sales for flights to Colombo are temporarily closed”.
Aeroflot will continue to operate flights to Colombo without passengers to take back tourists already in the country, the airline said.
Aeroflot passengers who are in Colombo (Sri Lanka) and have tickets for return flights to Moscow SU289 dated June 2, June 4 and June 5 will be flown to Moscow by SU289 flights departing on June 4 and June 5.
Aeroflot-Russian Airlines is the oldest international airline that operated international flights to Colombo and it has been operating the Moscow-Colombo route since 1964. Aeroflot had to stop operations to Colombo in 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and recommenced its flight operations in November 2021.
Sanctions on Russia demanded return of aircrafts leased from EU firms by the end of march, but Putin led Russia didn’t do so.
The European Union in February imposed a wide-array of economic sanctions on Russia, including banning the leasing of EU airplanes, after it invaded Ukraine.
The bloc’s sanctions demanded Russia return any aircraft leased from EU firms by the end of March.
Russia had more than 500 aircraft leased from the West out of a total park of about 1,300, according to news agency RBC, meaning fulfillment of the sanctions would have decimated the nation’s travel industry.
President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law in March allowing Russian airlines to seize the leased planes.
Russia’s aviation regulator warned its airlines from flying leased planes abroad amid concern they could be seized.
Leasing companies have confiscated 78 planes operated by Russian airlines since the sanctions were imposed, though nearly all occurred within the first few days.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has demanded Sri Lanka resolve the situation, warning it could hurt bilateral relations. Sri Lanka is a popular destination for Russian vacationers. The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Moscow, Prof. Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage and expressed its “resolute protest” over the detention of the Aeroflot plane in Colombo, TASS news agency reported.
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had informed Russian authorities that the issue with the Aeroflot aircraft is not an issue between two countries but a private legal issue.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified its position with regard to the Russian Aeroflot passenger aircraft flight SU-289, which is currently at BIA.
“On 2 June 2022, the Commercial High Court of the Western Province issued an Enjoining Order on the Aeroflot flight restraining it from taking off from Bandaranaike International Airport.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the case relates to a commercial dispute between the Plaintiff, Celestial Aviation Trading 10 Limited an Irish Company against the first Defendant the Public Joint Stock Company “Aeroflot” and the second Defendant, Mr. N. C Abeywardene, Acting Head of Air Navigation/Airport and Aviation Services of Sri Lanka (AASL), Katunayake.
The Ministry said the matter is still pending final determination of the Court. This matter is also under consultation through normal diplomatic channels, it added.
The Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Dinesh Gunawardena said that Sri Lankan authorities should take immediate action to resolve the issue regarding the detained Russian Aeroflot plane.
The Minister said that immediate action should be taken before any major damage is caused to the relations between the two countries as well as the Sri Lankan economy.
The Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said an international problem has arisen regarding the detention of a Russian aircraft in Sri Lanka following a decision by the Commercial Court.
He said that so-called experts on international relations have made the problem worse and something that should have been resolved at the diplomatic level has now become a major international issue that could hamper Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, as well as tea exports.
