Aeroflot suspends flights to Sri Lanka after plane detained

NEW DELHI: Russian airline Aeroflot has suspended flights to Colombo after Sri Lankan authorities detained its plane.

The airline took the decision "due to an unreliable situation in terms of the airline's unobstructed flights to Sri Lanka," the Russian state news agency TASS reported on Saturday, citing an airline statement.

An Aeroflot A330 aircraft was seized at Bandaranaike International Airport on Thursday following a Commercial High Court order.

The Colombo court was acting on a complaint filed by Ireland's Celestial Aviation Trading Limited leasing company against Aeroflot, according to TASS.

The plane is barred from leaving the country until June 16 and a court hearing is scheduled for June 8, it reported.

The Russian airline, which operates only a limited number of international routes due to Western sanctions, resumed regular flights to Colombo in April.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Sri Lankan Ambassador Janitha Abeywickrama Liyanage on Friday to lodge a protest over the plane's grounding, the Sputnik news agency reported.

-- BERNAMA