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Unscheduled re-fuelling cargo carrier allowed to leave sans inspection
View(s):A foreign transport plane that made an unscheduled landing at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) early Wednesday, with unidentified cargo, was allowed to leave the country the same evening, without being checked, airport officials said.
They said the Antonov cargo carrier had arrived from the US en-route to Australia with an unidentified load of heavy machinery and a 19-member all Russian crew.
According to MRIA officials, the pilot of the aircraft had refused permission for local officials to conduct an inspection of the cargo.
According to the officials, the flight had landed for re-fuelling and crew rest, and left around 10 pm to a destination in Australia.
Civil Aviation Director General H.M.C. Nimalasiri said an aircraft could be checked only in suspicious circumstances, and apparently, this was not the case in the Mattala incident. Therefore, it was allowed to leave.
However, he added he would be speaking to officials at the MRIA and seek more details in this connection.
(LB)