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Reconsidering decision on Aeroflot flights to Sri Lanka requires guarantees — Kremlin

Earlier, the aviation authorities of Sri Lanka delayed the departure of the Airbus A330 aircraft of the Aeroflot company due to the complaint of a leasing company from Ireland

MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. In order to reconsider the decision to suspend Aeroflot flights to Sri Lanka, Moscow must receive guarantees from the country's authorities that the recent aircraft incident would not happen again, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"In order for the flights to continue, some assurances must be obtained that the situation that happened quite recently with the Aeroflot aircraft will not be repeated. That is, if such cases are somehow completely ruled out and the necessary assurances are given, it would give our aviation authorities a reason to consider such possibility," he told reporters.

Peskov added that Moscow has not received a request from former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to reconsider its decision to suspend Aeroflot flights.

Earlier, the aviation authorities of Sri Lanka delayed the departure of the Airbus A330 aircraft of the Aeroflot company at Bandaranaike International Airport. The High Commercial Court of Colombo granted the complaint of Celestial Aviation Trading Limited, a leasing company from Ireland, to Russia’s Aeroflot and banned the airline's aircraft from leaving the country. A court hearing on the removal of the arrest from 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 were taken out by two Aeroflot flights to Russia.

On Monday, a Sri Lankan court suspended a court verdict barring an Aeroflot plane from leaving Sri Lanka. The decision was made after the High Commercial Court of Colombo considered a petition filed by the Attorney General. The aircraft has left for Russia later on Monday.