UPDATE: (7.18 p.m.) - The Department of Post says that postal items to be sent to Russia via airmail will now be accepted as the issues pertaining to the Aeroflot flight has been resolved.

However, the department said that there may be delays in deliveries. 

The Postmaster General Ranjith Ariyaratne says that postal items to Russia via airmail will not be accepted at post offices across the island until the Russian airline issue is resolved.

He said that accordingly the accepting of airmail articles has been temporarily suspended due to the cancellation of flights by the Russian airline. 

Aeroflot, Russia’s flagship carrier, on Saturday announced that it is suspending commercial flights to Sri Lanka after the island nation’s authorities detained the airline’s Airbus A330 jet on June 02.

“Aeroflot is suspending commercial flights to Colombo (Sri Lanka) for the immediate period due to an unreliable situation in terms of the airline’s unobstructed flights to Sri Lanka. The sales of tickets for flights to Colombo have been temporarily shut down,” Russian state-owned news agency TASS said quoting the airline.

On Friday (June 03), Aeroflot reported that the departure of its SU-289 flight from Colombo to Moscow scheduled for June 2 was at first delayed and then cancelled due to the absence of permit from Sri Lanka’s aviation authorities.

Earlier, Colombo’s Commercial High Court satisfied a complaint filed by Ireland’s Celestial Aviation Trading Limited leasing company against Aeroflot and banned its Airbus A330 jet from leaving the country until June 16. A court hearing to lift the seizure of the aircraft is scheduled for June 8, 2022.