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Search op at BIA after India’s terror warning
View(s):- Tipoff came after Chennai flight had landed; most passengers had left airport by then
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) conducted an urgent search at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) yesterday after the control tower received a message from India’s Chennai airport that suspicious persons could be aboard an incoming flight from that city.
However, the tip was received from India more than 15 minutes after the SriLankan Airlines flight had landed. This meant that a majority of passengers who disembarked had already left the airport, said Air Vice Marshall (Retd) Nishen Abeysinghe, Director of Aviation Security, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL).
“We were told there were between three and five suspicious people on the flight,” he said. “But by that time, only transit passengers were there. We deployed some patrols and special teams to look out for any unusual behaviour.”
UL308, which is the flight number, was then scheduled to depart for Singapore. Therefore, SLAF checked the transit area and transit passengers while also doing a thorough inspection of the aircraft before it was cleared for its onwards journey.
There were widespread reports that the information from India pertained to terrorists connected with the April 22 attack that left 26 tourists dead in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Air Vice Marshall Abeysinghe confirmed this.
SriLankan Airlines issued a statement saying that one of its aircraft that arrived from Chennai yesterday morning “was subjected to a comprehensive security search upon arrival after a tip-off on a suspect wanted in Chennai being on board the flight”.
As a result of the mandatory security procedure, the next scheduled service to Singapore was delayed.
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