The SriLankan Airlines has issued a clarification on the flights diverted to Mattala International Airport (MIA) yesterday (May 04).

In a statement, the national carrier said that flight UL 605 from Melbourne to Colombo, which was scheduled to touch down at the Bandaranaike International Airport, was diverted to Mattala due to the inclement weather in Katunayake.

The aircraft had to further remain on ground at Mattala airport as the operating crew of the flight had reached their flight duty time limitation according to civil aviation regulations, the SriLankan Airlines explained.

“There were 294 passengers, 3 infants and 15 crew members onboard UL 605. Passengers who were to disembark in Sri Lanka were provided with ground transport to Colombo and passengers travelling beyond Sri Lanka were given hotel accommodation in and around Mattala until the flight’s departure to Bandaranaike International Airport.”

SriLankan Airlines expressed regret for any inconvenience caused to the passengers as a result of diverting the flight which it said was a necessary measure to ensure a safe landing for the passengers and crew members onboard.

“The airline is currently making every effort to connect affected passengers to their final destination.”

Earlier, it was reported that two flights from Australia’s Melbourne and Malé in the Maldives to Colombo were diverted to Mattala last night (May 04), with another flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Colombo being diverted this morning.