CATHAY Pacific Airways has suspended flight operations until further notice to Colombo, the capital of strive-torn Sri Lanka following a recent rebel air strike, said a statement from the Hong Kong airline.
Two Tamil Tiger aircraft dropped bombs on a fuel dump in the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's (CPC) oil installations on April 29.
"Safety is a top priority at Cathay Pacific and a careful assessment of the situation will be made before services are resumed," said a Cathay statement.
This comes after Cathay resumed daily flights to Colombo from April 22 after cutting them when another rebel attack prompted the closing of the Colombo airport on March 26 when the Katunayake base, 30 kilometres away, was bombed by rebels.
The Sri Lankan Defence Minister said Tamil Tiger rebels, seeking an independent homeland in the northern Jaffna Peninsula, smuggled in five propeller-driven aircraft following a 2002 cease-fire, Bloomberg reported.
Bloomberg also reported the latest attack prompted India to boost radar facilities on the Tamil Nadu coast on the mainland of the Indian subcontinent across strait from the island republic.
Asian Shipper News
Login
