Flights diverted to Mattala due to bad weather at BIA

Two flights arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake have been diverted to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport as a result of extreme weather conditions.

SriLankan Airlines flight, UL 309 from Singapore, and an Etihad Airways flight, EY 394 from Abu Dhabi, were redirected to Mattala because adverse weather around Katunayake prevented them from landing at BIA, airport authorities said.

Meanwhile, SriLankan Airlines has sent a new crew from Colombo to Mattala for the UL 309 SriLankan Airlines flight from Singapore, which was landed at Mattala International Airport, in order to bring the flight back to the BIA.

This replacement was necessary because the original crew’s shift had expired after a five-hour delay caused by a technical fault, the authorities said.