Colombo - SriLankan Airlines announced that flight UL 309 from Singapore to Colombo, carrying 204 passengers onboard, was diverted to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport this morning (2 June 2024) due to inclement weather at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

Under the circumstances, the airline said that it made every effort to ensure the safety and well-being of the passengers onboard following the diversion. Passengers were also given the option to disembark in Mattala or remain onboard to fly to BIA.

The aircraft had to remain on the ground at Mattala as the operating crew had reached their flight duty time limitation according to civil aviation regulations.

This was compounded by the fact that the flight departed approximately five hours later from Singapore than the scheduled time due to a technical matter. The flight departed for BIA at 10:00hrs this morning with a new crew.

SriLankan Airlines said that it deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to passengers due to the flight’s delay caused by a technical issue and the subsequent diversion.

It added that this measure was necessary to ensure the safety of all passengers and crew members onboard. The airline is currently making every effort to connect affected passengers to their final destinations.