Colombo Commercial High Court suspends enjoining order preventing departure of Aeroflot aircraft

(UPDATED) -An Enjoining order issued by the Commercial High Court on an Aeroflot aircraft has been suspended following submissions made by the Attorney General on the implication of the decision.
The move would effectively mean that the flight could now leave the country.

While the court proceedings were pending the Sri Lankan business community-based in Russia as well as Lankans who have studied there and those in the tourism industry have called on the government to immediately resolve the dispute over the Aeroflot aircraft grounded due to a Court decision and warned of further implications.

A group of Sri Lankans educated in Russia as well as those involved in the tourism industry today held a protest in front of the Prime Minister’s office at Flower road and then marched to the Russian Embassy in Bauddhaloka Mawatha and handed over a letter showing solidarity with Russia.

They called the Prime Minister to step in immediately to resolve the issue as it could have far-reaching consequences on Sri Lanka.

In the letter they handed over to the Russian embassy they regretted the incident.  The Lankan business community-based in Russia also have written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa spelling out the implications of the decision and warned that it could affect students studying there as well as the tourism industry. 

They have called the President to make an apology to the Russian President. Meanwhile, the Attorney General has filed a motion this morning seeking to vacate the enjoining order preventing the departure of the Aeroflot flight.

The AG has pointed out that it has caused inconvenience to the passengers, caused economic implications to the country and also caused a diplomatic issue over the relations with Russia. 

Meanwhile, the Aeroflot incident has cast doubt over the tourism industry as well after Russia has flown back some of its tourists as well.

Russia was the fifth-highest country that brought in the highest number of tourists to Sri Lanka last month.  Of the 62,980 tourists who arrived in Sri Lanka last month 3,874 or 6.2 per cent the tourists were from Russia. 

In another implication, the Postal department stopped taking mail articles to Russia as the flights between the two countries had been suspended due to the issue.