• Sri Lankan court overturns order barring Aeroflot Airbus A330 from leaving Colombo airport.
• Russian airline’s arrest sparked a diplomatic row, with Russia summoning Sri Lanka envoy to its foreign ministry.
• Air traffic controllers denied clearance for flight SU289 to return to Moscow on Thursday.

Sri Lankan court on Monday overturned an order barring the departure of an Aeroflot Airbus A330 from the country’s primary international airport due to a commercial disagreement.

Following a court decision suspending the aircraft for two weeks, air traffic controllers denied clearance for flight SU289 to return to Moscow on Thursday.

Read more: Sri Lanka seeks UN help on food shortages

The plane’s arrest sparked a diplomatic row, with Russia summoning Sri Lanka’s senior envoy to its foreign ministry on Friday to hear a “resolute protest” over the imprisonment.

In a statement, Airport and Aviation Services, which operates the Bandaranaike International Airport, said the disagreement was “purely commercial in nature” and should not be susceptible to government intervention.

The state attorney general, however, petitioned to have the case heard two days ahead of schedule on Monday, pleading for the plane to be permitted to return.

Read more: Sri Lanka court suspends pardon for Rajapaksa loyalist

Recommended by Russia’s civil aviation organization, airlines that rent planes

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