Technical snag delays Lankan airline flight

The UL216 aircraft of the Sri Lankan Airlines bound for Bahrain via Abu Dhabi from Colombo had to offload its passengers at the Abu Dhabi airport in wee hours of night after developing engine problems.

The flight took off at around 6am yesterday morning after the technical problem was rectified, Desiree Premachandra, Country Manager, UAE, Sri Lankan Airlines told Khaleej Times.

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'The flight was grounded at midnight on its way to Bahrain and we had to off load the passengers, So also, the crew had to be changed because by the time we fixed the problem, they had exceeded their flying time," Premachandra said.

Responding to some complaints by the passengers, she noted that all them were well looked after at the airport,and were provided meals and gift vouchers. "The passengers were kept informed at all times and we also compensated them for the delay with gift vouchers worth Dh300 as Miscellaneous Charges Order (MCO)," she added.

According to Premachandra, the passengers who had connection flights out of Colombo were also rebooked on other flights so as to avoid inconvenience.

After reaching Bahrain, the flight took off to Colombo again via Abu Dhabi.