Airlines suspend Sri Lanka flights after rebel air strike

Colombo: Emirates Airlines and Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific on Sunday suspended flights to Sri Lanka following a rebel air strike around the troubled island's capital.
Emirates operated scheduled flights from Dubai to the Maldives, Singapore and Indonesia through the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.
However, the airline plans to operate a relief flight for any stranded passengers.
Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific suspended flights to Sri Lanka's international airport indefinitely, it said in a statement Sunday.
Planes manned by Tamil Tiger rebels struck fuel depots around Sri Lanka's capital early Sunday, briefly plunging Colombo into darkness. Security forces lit up the night sky with anti-aircraft fire.
The island's only international airport, located near the capital, diverted flights after rebel aircraft were spotted in its air space.
Flights were disrupted by air defence systems, officials said, adding that one Indian jet was turned back and several departing flights were delayed. It is the second time in recent weeks that Cathay Pacific has suspended flights to Sri Lanka.
29/04/07 AFP/Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2007, General Aviation Apr 2007, Safety Apr 2007