SriLankan aircraft circle Middle East skies for over an hour due to airspace closures

By T.K.G Kapila

July 15 (Daily Mirror) - Two SriLankan Airlines aircraft were forced to circle over the Middle East for more than an hour after Kuwait and Saudi Arabia temporarily closed their airspaces following a sudden military escalation in the region, SriLankan Airlines Head of Corporate Communications Deepal Perera said.

He said the two aircraft, which had departed from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, for Kuwait City and Dammam International Airport, were unable to proceed as planned due to the airspace restrictions.

According to Perera, SriLankan Airlines flights UL-229 and UL-253, both operated by A321neo aircraft, faced the situation on July 14 as they approached the Middle East region following a series of missile and drone attacks launched by Iran.

Flight UL-229, which departed Kuwait International Airport at 5.10 p.m. on July 14, and flight UL-253, which departed for Dammam International Airport at 6.36 p.m., were affected by the temporary airspace closures.

He said the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel to return immediately to Katunayake and were therefore required to remain airborne near the region for around one hour and 10 minutes until the airspace was reopened.

The pilots later safely landed the aircraft at their respective destinations once operations resumed. Both aircraft returned to Katunayake Airport by the morning of July 15.

Perera said many other international aircraft were also reportedly forced to remain airborne due to the sudden security situation in the region, as they were unable to land at affected airports.

SriLankan Airlines flight UL-230 from Kuwait arrived at Katunayake Airport at 7.03 a.m. on July 15, while the flight from Dammam arrived at 6.04 a.m., carrying passengers who had been waiting at those airports to return to Sri Lanka.