Sri Lankan Government is planning to allow free access of their airspace to Russian aircraft in exchange for food and fertilizer. Sri Lankan transport minister Bandula Gunawardana pledged not to arrest any Russian-flagged aircraft as part of talks for a new agreement between the two countries.
The arrangement is on the backdrop of the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka which has led to shortage of food and essential daily supplies.
"There will be no risk of arrests in the future," Gunawardana pledged
The announcement comes nine months after an incident involving the grounding of an Aeroflot aircraft at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport due to a commercial dispute which later turned out to be a court order demanding the immediate seizure of the aircraft. The dispute was between the airline and AerCap-owned lessor Celestial Aviation Trading leading to Aeroflot suspending flights to Sri Lanka for four months.
The incident took place rather abruptly after passengers had already boarded. Everyone onboard the aircraft was asked to disembark and put up in hotels.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's ambassador to Moscow has confirmed he is talking to the Russian government about importing food and fertiliser from that country.