Sri Lanka Airports on standby amid Middle East airspace disruptions

The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) announced that Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) have been placed on standby to accommodate any emergency landing requests from civil airlines, following the escalating situation in Qatar and the wider Middle East.

The move comes amid heightened regional tensions and airspace restrictions in parts of the Gulf.

According to the CAASL, five SriLankan Airlines flights were diverted on Sunday due to the unfolding situation. The affected flights were rerouted to Muscat (Oman), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Dubai (UAE) for safety and logistical reasons.