The operating crew of a SriLankan Airlines flight from Madurai to Colombo including its Pilots and Cabin Crew were filmed creeping through a barbed wire fence and penetrating the Madurai Airport Security Defenses to gain access to their aircraft to operate their flight back to Colombo.
Capt.R. De Alwis and his crew of the national carrier were facing difficulties in gaining access to the main airport entrance in Madurai after their crew stop over. This was due to a protest being held by locals in close proximity to the airport in Madurai.
Instead of staying in the Crew Hotel and turning up to operate the flight once the protests in Madurai were over, Capt. De Alwis had looked at all options to get the crew to the airport to operate their flight back.
This meant that the crew transport provider was forced to take a dirt road and shove the Stewardesses and Pilots through a fence which borders the airport.
Whilst access to the airport should be entered through the proper channels the former Air Force Wing Commander and now Captain of SriLankan Airlines took a decision to penetrate the Madurai Airport defenses instead.
His job usually is to enter the airport through the proper legal channels to gain access to the aircraft and not through any illegal means.(By Janaka Ranaweera)
Douglas / January 24, 2017
CT: It is your policy to edit even the comments. What made you to publish this “Rubbish” without verifying the facts. Your doubts would have arisen on the so called “forced” entry by the Capt.of UL through a security fence without the permission of the Airport Authorities. That is very unlikely and if the crew did that without permission and assistance, they would have been by now behind bars. The publication of this type of thrash and rubbish does not speak good of your credibility. So please don’t lose your CREDIBILITY and allow for this type of INFILTRATION.
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uditha / January 24, 2017
Credibility can be lost for a publication with credibility. But this site?
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Faiz Maharoof / January 25, 2017
You are right..There could be valid and safety reasons for such a commitment by a crew captain.
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vishvajith / January 24, 2017
A practical solution to the situation. This couldn’t have happened without the knowledge of the Airport Authorities.
The article reminds me of the saying from the Railway Dept a ‘Haho in Maho’.
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Nihal Pinto / January 24, 2017
I have read all 42 comments and it is fascinating to see the amount of comments written by many frustrated commentators.
If you don’t agree with the headline and the picture why did you click to read the story in the first place?
Seems like most pervert minded people got excited with the headline words such as ‘Stewardess” and ‘Penetrate” and the photograph of a Stewardess bending in two to creep through the fence.
Perhaps they thought the video was one full of sex and got disappointed.
Now the perverts are questioning the CT of their ethical stance. Ha ha what a bloody joke.
Usually a group of regular well read and highly intelligent people frequently comment under CT stories.
But today it seems we have a bunch of disappointed perverts.
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Sean Paul / January 24, 2017
The Indian authorities should have provided VIP Security to our ambassadors when in their country.
You think the Air India crew would tolerate some rubbishy thing like this if the roles were reversed?
Where is our dignity?
There was a safety and security situation in India with protests and the Crew should have been protected and asked to stay in the hotel till it was safe to travel to the airport.
Imagine if one of the crew got bitten by a snake walking down that gravel path?
Wonder what most of these commentators would be saying then?
Then they would have blamed the crew for not following proper protocol.
Where was the Flight Attendant Union in this case?
They were all quiet cos their Union President and an entire crew of his are currently taken of their flying duties pending investigation I hear for getting off the aircraft and refusing to operate a flight recently.
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Nimal / January 24, 2017
Great job to get the job done in time.End justifies the means says the old saying.
He should be in the government’s cabinet to get things moving in the right direction.
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Manahara / January 24, 2017
Please don’t publish this kind of rubbish!!!!! Salute what’s right and no one in their right minds would think that this could have happened without the knowledge of authorities specially at an international airport!!!
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Bunty / January 24, 2017
Well, Don’t be surprised perhaps it is a new access method developed by INDIANS.
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Estate Labourer / January 24, 2017
As long as the Captain did not penetrate the stewardesses, it is OK!
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Truth Finder / January 24, 2017
CT. Are you short of news items? I feel the captain did a superb job obviously with the knowledge of authorities! Don’t fall into the Enews category!!!
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Desapriya / January 24, 2017
Shame on your “In journalism truth is a process” motto. Bullshit journalism of you “Colombo Telegraph” Bulshit
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Sendhu / January 24, 2017
What’s with the sexist click bait headline and video image? Very poor choice of words Janaka. There are other websites that cater to your *tastes*.
Also, follow the basic protocols of your work and get the facts right before you embarrass yourself next time Colombo Telegraph. Or is your editor busy penetrating other reports?
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Sendhu / January 24, 2017
Click bait headline and video image, false “reporting” and sexual innuendos. Is this a journalistic website or a rated R YouTube channel?
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Eusense / January 25, 2017
CT – 0 Sri Lankan – 1
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Rajash / January 26, 2017
Eusense
“CT – 0 Sri Lankan – 1 “
referee missed the off side …creeping under the barbed wire.
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Prithvi / January 25, 2017
I am very much aware about this issue being a local. free should not blamed but should be appreciated their effort to reach Airport even considering the situation outside the Airport surrounding. Hats off to captain go operate this flight without any delay. They were just escaped as they reached few minutes before the force protest began. Whereas the other Airlines could not get their crew from hotel as the protestors spread their force everywhere. I think UL team could have easily denied and stayed back at hotel. If was a tough decision what this team has taken to operate. The Airport authorities are well aware about this issue. I am sure they wouldn’t have made any issues.
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K A Sumanasekera / January 25, 2017
Evidently Penetration is common not only by Captains but also by first officers according to my Elders..
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Dilshan Silva / January 25, 2017
This needs to be investigated by responsible regulators such as Civil Aviation Authority and IATA as it has many implications
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Rajash / January 25, 2017
There is a lot of criticism of the CT coverage of this story.
So lets imagine a scenario
The Airline is Air India
The Crews All Tamils from Madurai
Flight – Colombo to Madurai – mostly Tamil passengers
Incident – Buddhist Monks protesting in front of BIA and disrupting traffic entering the airport
Sri Lankan airport authorities escort the Tamil crew members through the barbed wire
CT reports the incident with photo of stewardess creeping through the barbed wire and a flash of their flesh accompanied by Video.
what would be the typical comments from the CT readers for this hypothetical incident at BIA
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Kugan / January 25, 2017
This is not the case,how easy to get access to air craft.
Don’t you concern about the security.loaded up with bombs and landed at BIA?
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Eusense / January 25, 2017
rajash
Nonsensical post!
It depends on how CT writes the news Head Line and whether what really happened was reported as breaching the Airport security or not. According to CT report here the impression given to us is that Srilankan personnel did something illegal. Most writers found the real story from other news sources.
“Air India: Captain Forces Flight Stewardesses To Penetrate BIA Airport Security Defenses”
Yes, If the AI Captain actually did this I would be pretty upset!
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Rajash / January 26, 2017
Eusense
my above post is not about CT’s headline.
my above post is about how CT readers would have reacted if this incident had happened hypothetically at BIA and CT reported with the “Same Head Line”
The CT readers would have posted anti Tamil racist slang and link to LTTE etc.
Instead of praising the Captain!
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Eusense / January 26, 2017
rajash
As I wrote, if CT had the same headline and the same story and I had no other true information, I would be very upset about the Captain’s active. But, why should anyone bash Tamils when India is not a majority Tamil country??
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Rajash / January 26, 2017
Eusense
watch my words I said “…how CT readers would have reacted ..”
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Shane Dias / January 25, 2017
I cant recall this many new folk making any comment under any of CT’s many stories published before. If the caption was not appealing why did many click to read the story in the first place? Maybe CT wrote it in this angle to identify the real perverts. Especially the disappointed perverts who got aroused with words such as the ones used in the headline and did not find what they were looking for in the video. ha ! ha!
Sometime ago when CT published a story about a SriLankan Airlines pilot screwing an office worker in some hotel, no one complained about that. How come? Why now everyone is upset about this headline? Penetrate so what? its a wildly used word. Either you like to penetrate or get penetrated so whats the big deal here now? Is it because no one got penetrated in the video, that everyone was hoping to see? Grow up people. Great job CT, I think you caught a whole lot of perverts off guard, especially a whole bunch of new commentators too.
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Shalini Senanayale / January 25, 2017
Capt Rabi de Alwis is a duty conscience pilot. I am sure his intension was to take the flight on time.He did it somehow facing all difficulties. We should admire his initiative and bravery in this act instead of trying to criticise. Someone who was happy about the situation that occured in Madurai and was planning to have a relaxed day was disappointed when Capt Rabi took this initiative. After all what does he gain by illegally encroaching Madurai airport?
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Punchiburampi / January 25, 2017
If the crew members were blocked from entering the airport, how could the passengers get there ?
Anyways I think this was not professionals. We also have to calculate the damages that could have been the case if there had been a threat. In such situations, I really dont think all information had been known to the capitain. Besides, this incident occured in an indian airport. Most of south asian the like minded airports are underdeveloped.
Assuming those protesters cant be like europeans (protest marchers in europe are decent and non-violent) but very much like SRILANKENS protesters we get to say these days in the streets –
NO DOUBT; THIS HAD BEEN VERY UNPROFESSIONAL:
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getafix / January 25, 2017
What is the point of this report? Was this written by a trained journalist?
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jay / January 25, 2017
so this is news ? bull shit
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Nicole Phillips / January 25, 2017
If the Madurai airport could in fact be entered through a dirt track bordering the airport, without the people entering the airport encountering some kind of resistance by the airport authorities, brings into question the actual safety of all airlines and passengers and crew traveling in an out of the Madurai airport.
If this was not authorized by the airport personnel, like someone before me stated, the crew would probably be behind bars by now.
I think we should wait for more information on this before jumping the gun and castigating the UL crew or the airport authorities
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Harshana / January 25, 2017
Disgusting journalism.Please choose proper headlines.
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Rajeewa Jayaweera / January 25, 2017
Going through the 63 comments, a large percentage seem to endorse Capt. de Alwis’ act of leading his crew to enter the airport creeping through a barbed wire fence. His act has been commended as an act of dedication to the airline. The airline’s own release upholds this view point.
The Capt., besides his duty to ensure an on-time departure, is also bound by other duties such as the safety and security of his passengers, crew and the aircraft. Generally, protestors tend to become violent when faced with attempts to go against their objectives, in this instance, cause the closure of the airport. Had some protestors spotted crew members on their way to the unorthodox entry point or in the act of creeping through a barbed wire fence and manhandled, injured or in a worst-case scenario, even killed one of the crew members in the process, what would have been the outcome? Would all those commending Capt. de Alwis have said otherwise?
Some other questions which comes to the fore;
1.If entrance to airport was blocked by protestors preventing the crew from entering the airport, how did the passengers travelling to Colombo enter the airport?
2.Did the SriLankan Airlines Station Manager, at the time of giving the wake up call to the crew resting at the hotel appraise the Captain of the situation? The decision whether to bring the crew to the airport or keep them at the crew hotel has to be made by the Station Manager and not the Captain.
3.Though not relevant to the issue, when Madurai is but a flight lasting less than 90m minutes, why does SriLankan Airlines have a crew slip in Madurai?
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Jonny / January 25, 2017
Pl keep your comments to yourself you ignorant pandit! Your under pants are showing
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Francis G / January 25, 2017
Every commentator seems to have missed the bus (or plane?), Were there any passengers in the plane which was ready to fly back. If so, how did THEY board the plane circumventing the protesters? Or was it empty? If empty, what was the unearthly hurry to go to Colombo without the passengers? Was it to transport a pet puppy of some minister for specialised veterinary treatment abroad ?
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Peace Lover / January 25, 2017
Dear Francis its not others but you who has missed the bus (or plane) here
Do you think we have a 100’s of airlines in our fleet and we can afford to let a plane sit idle in Madurai till the protests are over
no we cannot fford to do that as
i)that plane is on a roster schedule and once back from Madurai will have many otehr destinations to fly to ,so staying put in Madurai is a loss to UL as other routes will get affected by the loss of one aircraft which can run to millions much more than returning an empty plane back to BIA
ii)Airlines have to pay parking charges ar airports which is high its not like parking your ur push bicycle at your grannys place till you want it back!
iii) This was done with the full permission from the Madurai airport officials http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/UL-crew-crawls-through-barbed-wire-at-Madurai-airport-122652.html
iv) Airline schedule is a complex thing so is loading a aircraft with the correct weight distribution for maximum fuel efficiency
In future please do know about the subject before you comment my friend
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Ahmed L. / January 25, 2017
CT,
They are not smuggling something. There can be many reasons why they had to do find an alternative – You must be happy to see Sri Lankan people who usually are taught to follow what book says from the childhood to doing this
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Douglas / January 25, 2017
Rajeewa: You were inquisitive as to how the passengers entered the Airport and why the UL crew could not? The protestors would aim to cripple the flight departures and how that is to be done is to prevent the operating crew from entering the terminal. If the crew tried on the normal terminal entry, they would have been subjected to an attack and what that “attack” could be anybody’s guess. Have you forgotten, how the Katunayake International Airport operated in full force on the day in 1989 when the entire county’s transport system was crippled due to JVP uprising? That was possible purely due to the DEDICATION of all employees who braved to keep the Airport and the National Carrier operating without a stoppage. This information is relevant to the question you raised in (2) of your comment. I agree, there could have been a “PLAN” in place like what the UL did on that day of 1989. The protest situation would have been known well ahead of day and time of UL departure and the UL Management at Chennai could have provided all what were needed to operate the flight. The “situation” was known. Therefore not only the UL Chennai; but the Management in Colombo should have had a plan laid out ahead to handle the operations. I too see that as a FAILURE of the Airline Management. If that was done, this “ugly” situation would not have happened.
However, I take this opportunity to CONGRATULATE the entire crew and say a BIG THANK you for upholding that tradition of BRAVERY your predecessors established as far back as 1989. In whatever circumstances, YOU took that RISK to keep the National Carrier flying. Please do not be worried over those “dirty” (sexual) comments made by some commentators in this page. Just forget that and continue to KEEP the National Carrier flying as OUR OWN.
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Rajeewa Jayaweera / January 25, 2017
Douglas
Please do refresh my memory of happenings ‘on that day in 1989’.
1. Notwithstanding the ‘curfew’ imposed by JVP, did not staff transport operate and staff report for work at the Airport?
2. Did protestors or JVP terrorists form a ring around the airport and prevent entry for staff and/or passengers as was the case in Madurai?
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Lanka Watch / January 25, 2017
What was the mighty hurry for the crew to get to the aircraft, while the booked passengers could not gain entry to the departure terminal to check-in.The crew should have stayed at the hotel in readiness until
such time the situation eased for safe passage to the Terminal. It appears that there was no proper coordination between the airline staff
on ground and the crew. How ever,the Tamil Nadu security authorities
should have given police/military escort for the crew to the terminal, as a matter of courtesy to foreign airline operators.
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maalumiris / January 25, 2017
Whether passengers can or cannot get to the aircraft is not the problem of the airline. The aircraft must be ready to fly
Some one DID escort the crew to this point and facilitated their entry – you can see in the video. You can even see one guy crossing first while talking to someone on the phone, and gesturing for the crew to remain on the outside.
There is even some guy in a white uniform.
How do you know these are NOT airport security folk ?
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Douglas / January 25, 2017
Rajeewa: Thanks for your response. Hare are the facts. (1) The JVP curfew was on Public Transport plus Government Institution operations and that included the Airport and UL. (2) The JVP did not barricade the Airport; but Army and Air Force personnel were deployed in and around as a security measure. (3) I know that the UL Management formed a “Committee” comprised of all Heads of Depts. to work out a PLAN to keep the operations going without any interruptions. (4) This “Committee” decided the number of personnel required to fully operate the fights and other related matters and all those were to be accommodated in the hotels around the Airport plus the Technical Ground operations operatives to be housed in the then “Staff Canteen”. (3) All board and lodging costs to be born by the UL (5) If any of them were willing to come from their homes using their own transport, such personnel were given a voucher to obtain petrel from the pump inside the airport facility and were issued with curfew passes. The Police Station located in the Free Trade Zone authorized the Security Dept. of UL to issue those curfew passes. The most noteworthy and praiseworthy of this arrangement was; such employees willingly came forward to bring one additional in a motor cycle and four others in a car. (6) All personnel worked were provided with all meals and an additional incentive per day allowance. These were the main points, I collected from a “Staff Notice” issued by that “Committee” and the Head of the Security Dept. That was how the then Management and most importantly all the STAFF banded together to keep the Airport and Flight operations uninterrupted. It WORKED very well thanks to the dedicated efforts of the WORK FORCE. Hope I have awakened you to that glorious and win, win situation of 1989.
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