(UTV|COLOMBO) – SriLankan Airlines says due to the prevailing unsettled situation in the Persian Gulf region, the airline has altered the route of its Colombo-London-Colombo flights to avoid the airspace of Iran and Iraq with immediate effect, as a precautionary measure.
SriLankan Airlines in a statement said it is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with relevant national and international authorities, with the safety of its passengers and crew members being of paramount importance.
Two airbases housing US troops in Iraq were hit by more than a dozen ballistic missiles.
Iranian state TV says the attack is a retaliation after the country’s top commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad, on the orders of US President Donald Trump.
The Pentagon says two sites were attacked, in Irbil and Al Asad.