A Russian-operated plane has been seized in Sri Lanka shortly before it was due to return to Moscow with nearly 200 people on board, airport bosses said.
The Aeroflot Airbus A330 – which had arrived from Moscow on Thursday – was prevented from returning following an order from Colombo Commercial Court, an official for Bandaranaike International Airport, which is just north of the capital, told the AFP news agency.
Aeroflot, Russia’s flagship carrier, halted all international flights in March following Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, but re-started operations to Colombo in April.
It was not immediately clear if the detention of the flight was related to sanctions.
Passengers and crew were taken to hotels, representatives for the airport said.
BBC