Following intense diplomatic pressure, Colombo Commercial High Court in Sri Lanka suspended on June 6 an order preventing an Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) flight from leaving the country. The order was suspended after a judge, who had arrested the widebody four days previously, considered an emergency motion filed by the Attorney General of Sri Lanka.
Judge Harsha Setunga had denied Airbus A330-300 RA-73702 (msn 1301) - or VQ-BMY as it was known until being forcibly transferred to the Russian register on April 15 - permission to return to Moscow Sheremetyevo from Colombo International as scheduled on June 2 with around 200 passengers on board. However, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows that Flight SU569 departed Colombo bound for Moscow at 1821L (1251Z) on June 6.
Celestial Aviation Trading Limited, an affiliate of lessor AerCap, had sought to confiscate the aircraft after the relationship between lessor and airline collapsed in the wake of tough Western sanctions imposed after the Kremlin-ordered invasion of Ukraine. It is one of around 750 foreign-owned aircraft in Russia that have been transferred to the local registry.
Since the seizure, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has demanded that Sri Lanka resolve the situation, warning that it could damage bilateral relations at a time when the vulnerable Asian country faces economic collapse. The island has been a popular destination for Russian holidaymakers, but it is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1945.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported earlier on June 6 that the court was preparing to hear the case even though the next court session on the issue had been set for June 8. Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry had told it that "the matter is still pending the final determination of the court. This matter is also under consultation through normal diplomatic channels."
On June 5, a spokesman from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office told the country's Daily Mirror newspaper that the leader had informed Moscow that the issue was not between two countries but a private legal matter. However, the government's aviation minister had personally apologised to the affected passengers and crew and acknowledged that the matter was likely to impact the tourism industry in addition to Sri Lanka's ongoing foreign exchange crisis.
In Moscow, the Russian government had summoned the Sri Lankan ambassador for explanations, while in Colombo a group of Sri Lankans educated in Russia and those involved in the tourism industry had held a protest in front of the prime minister's office and then marched to the Russian Embassy to hand over a letter showing solidarity with Russia.
