Sri Lanka, March 1 -- Due to the closure of airspace across Middle Eastern countries, all flights scheduled to depart from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to destinations in the Middle East have been temporarily suspended until 5.00 p.m. today (01).

Airport authorities stated that as of 6.15 a.m. today, 18 flights scheduled to arrive and 25 flights scheduled to depart at BIA had been cancelled.

Meanwhile, two aircraft operated by FitsAir and Air Arabia, which departed for Middle Eastern destinations yesterday (28), have returned to BIA.

Passengers whose final destinations are in the Middle East or those transiting through the region are advised to contact their respective airlines before arriving at the airport.

They are also...