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Sri Lankan court lifts ban on Russian Aeroflot plane — media

According to media reports, the verdict was suspended after the Colombo Commercial High Court considered a petition filed by the attorney general

NEW DELHI, June 6. /TASS/. A Sri Lankan court on Monday suspended a court verdict barring an Aeroflot plane from leaving Sri Lanka, the news portal Newsfirst reported.

According to media reports, the verdict was suspended after the Colombo Commercial High Court considered a petition filed by the attorney general. The Attorney General's Department decided to file such a petition after consideration of the serious consequences of the Russian plane delay for the interests of Sri Lanka and the need for speedy resolution of the situation.

As a high-ranking source close to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority told a TASS correspondent on Monday, it is likely that the plane can now leave the island state. "We hope that [the plane] will soon be able to fly to Russia," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Sri Lankan aviation authorities delayed the departure of Aeroflot's Airbus A330 at Bandaranaike International Airport last Thursday. The Colombo Commercial High Court satisfied a complaint filed by Ireland’s Celestial Aviation Trading Limited leasing company against Aeroflot and banned the airline's plane from leaving the country. A court hearing to lift the seizure of the aircraft is scheduled for June 8, 2022. About 200 Russian passengers were accommodated in hotels in Colombo.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the passengers stranded in Sri Lanka who planned to travel home on the seized plane were taken out on two Aeroflot flights to Russia.

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