Four international flights to BIA diverted to Mattala and India

Four international flights scheduled to land at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake in the early hours of January 07 were diverted due to dense fog that significantly reduced visibility.

The affected flights included three SriLankan Airlines flights—UL-226 from Dubai, UL-881 from Guangzhou, China, and UL-174 from Bangalore, India—which were redirected to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport. 

Additionally, Turkish Airlines flight TK-730 from Istanbul has been diverted to Trivandrum Airport in India.

The SriLankan Airlines flights refueled at Mattala but did not disembark passengers. By 9:00 a.m., all diverted flights returned to Katunayake Airport safely after the fog had cleared, Ada Derana reporter said.

The fog, which began to disrupt operations in the early morning, gradually lifted by around 7:00 a.m., enabling subsequent flights to land at Katunayake Airport without incident, according to the reporter.

Airport authorities confirmed that necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, and normal operations resumed promptly once visibility improved.