News
Overseas mail services rerouted from this week
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
International postal services are taking alternative measures to ensure mail delivery to the United States and European countries by shifting transit routes away from West Asia due to the ongoing regional conflict. West Asia has traditionally been an important transit hub for Sri Lanka’s mail, but airlines are now identifying new routes and alternative countries to restore services to Western destinations as of tomorrow, Ruwan Sathkumara, postmaster general of the Department of Posts, told the Sunday Times.
Postal disruptions affect SMEs in Sri Lanka that rely on postal services for commercial shipments, gifts, and business samples. Pix by Akila Jayawardene
“Airlines are working to bypass the traditional West Asian hubs. They have now identified alternative routes and transit points to transport mail without passing through West Asia,” Mr. Sathkumara said. He is hopeful the situation would improve quickly, adding, that “by tomorrow, the service is expected to recover’’.
According to Mr. Sathkumar, several countries have officially asked that incoming mail be halted. Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Lebanon have told international postal administrators to stop accepting items for delivery to their territories. Furthermore, many airlines have cancelled flights to various West Asian destinations, complicating the movement of mail that typically passes through these regions. While a formal notice was not received for Iran, the suspension of flights to the country has effectively halted mail services there as well.
Ruwan Sathkumara: Postmaster general of the Department of Posts
The disruptions have not been limited to West Asia; they have significantly impacted mail bound for the United States and Europe, which often rely on Gulf transit hubs. This has resulted in a backlog of about 1,280 kg of mail held up at the airport, which officials hope to clear once the alternative routing is fully operational according to the Department of Posts, Sri Lanka.
Mr. Sathkumara said this delay is particularly affecting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka that rely on postal services for commercial shipments, gifts, and business samples. The Express Mail Service (EMS) has been identified as the most heavily impacted category.
Despite the shift in routes, Mr. Sathkumara emphasised that safety remains a priority. All outgoing and incoming packages continue to be scanned to detect potential threats.
There are no plans to increase postal rates. Although transit points are changing, Sri Lanka operates under agreed annual rates with airlines, and carriers have not announced additional costs. The Department of Posts maintains that its international service is operated as a public obligation under the Universal Postal Union (UPU) guidelines rather than as a profit-making service, aiming only to cover operational costs, Mr Sathkumara said.
Postal officials also told the Sunday Times that they continue to communicate with international operators and through the UPU system to provide real-time updates.
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