A SriLankan Airlines wet leased aircraft operated by its own pilots and cabin crew and used by Pakistan International Airlines to fly from Lahore to London Heathrow, was intercepted by RAF typhoon fighter jets and forced to land at Stansted Airport, after an anonymous phone call had been received regarding a security issue yesterday.
A Pakistani man wanted by the UK Metropolitan Police was reported to have been escorted off the aircraft after it landed.
The SriLankan Airlines aircraft 4R ALN used for this operation by PIA, was flown by SriLankan Airlines Capt. Maleen Perera and First Officer Malavi Pathirane whilst the Cabin Crew consisted of SriLankan Airlines Cabin Supervisor Hettiarachchige Lakshman, Cabin Crew Members Mohamad Azman, Dilshan Alwis and along with a few other PIA Cabin Crew Members.
All passengers and crew were reported to be safe as ongoing investigations were being carried out at Stansted Airport.
SriLankan Airlines despite losing millions of rupees on this current wet lease deal with PIA, could be further embroiled in a bigger problem with the UK Civil Aviation Authorities, as it is reliably learnt that the business visas and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority endorsed flying licenses accorded to the Cabin Crew Members for this operation had expired a couple of days ago.(Janaka Ranaweera)
Sylvia Haik / February 8, 2017
The report in UK about this intercepted flight was that a disruptive passenger was on board.It said nothing about unlicensed crews.
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Spitfire Neelis / February 8, 2017
Note CT has a axe to drind with Srilankan Airlines!!!
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Leonard / February 8, 2017
Sylvia may have come from CNN (Clinton News Network)fake news.
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sarojini / February 10, 2017
Is that why it was escorted by RAF fighter jets and diverted to stansted from Heathrow. Do not insult the intelegience of the SL. !!!
Reply to Sylvia haik. !!
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Analyst / February 8, 2017
The world knows how to cheat the MODAYAS OF SRILANKA!! HuH !! What a show ! What a disgrace!!
Ok ! The Pakistani man who was disruptive will be charged properly. The flight was diverted to Stanstead on route to Heathrow.
But what about the expired business flying licence ??
This is where the Baffoons Sinhala Modayas comes.
Third world countries can cheat among themselves by sleeping with dogs with fleas , but out side the Third world the same does not happens , that’s when you get caught and punished.
Good lessons for cheaters of SRILANKan crew and the Pakistani Aviation..
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KKK / February 8, 2017
Very Good. Leave this modayas and you live with white modayas. you will no need to write shitty things about your country. there maybe modayas. but not everyone is modayas.
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Kalupahana / February 8, 2017
Sri Lankan Airlines should be declared Bankrupt and liquidated.
It is a massive white elephant and CORRUPT Mahinda Jarapassa and his bother in Law, a planter who had a good time with Air hostesses, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, who was flying high while he ran Sri Lankan Air into the ground should be arrested and tried in open court for their massive corruption which everyone knows.
Bond scam Ranil Wickramasinghe who is protecting the Mahinda Jarapassa family and deepening corruption, economic inequality and social unrest in Sri Lanka, while following instructions from the IMF and US Govt’s Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Economic Hit men who are supporting Ranil’s corruption from the side lines and burying corruption inquiries, rather than help track down looted funds, should also be held ACCOUNTABLE and tried in open court.
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Kapila / February 8, 2017
Now the Americans are massaging Ranil’s Royal College club of thieves to give Sri Lanka to a Dubious US TPG Capital (abbrev. for Texas Pacific Group) is an American investment company, without any DUE DILIGENCE. This company was involved in several frauds in Greece – a country in a major DEBT CRISIS due to IMF and EU failure to track down funds looted from that country by corrupt politicians and crony elites.
Check out Wikpedia on TPG: “In 2006, during the Apax fraud, Nikesh Arora was placed by investors TPG and Apax on the board of WIND Hellas (formerly TIM Hellas).[63] Under Arora’s direction, €1.6 billion were embezzled from TIM Hellas by misuse of company debts, a ransack operation codenamed ‘Project Troy’ by the official liquidator.[64][65] TPG and Apax were condemned in 2014 by a NY court to repay $565 million to the private investors.[66] In 2014, the Luxembourg liquidator sued TPG and Apax for 1.3 billion corresponding to the amount not recovered from the Arora embezzlement.[67] The Greek general prosecutor opened an investigation against TPG, Apax and all main implicated parties including Nikesh Arora under art.1608/1950 of the Greek criminal code for “Crimes against the people of Greece”.[68][69][70]
In the meantime, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales reprimanded Ernst & Young (now EY) for its involvement in the Wind Hellas scandal reportedly being charged with signing off the big increase in debt and payments to TPG and Apax Partners in 2006-07, and of allegedly acting as an administrator when Hellas was put into liquidation.[64][65][67][71]
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Leonard / February 9, 2017
Analiyst Antony Peter you change your colors now haven you? are you admitting some of the Western countries better. Taken you a while after living in the West for long time but to admit this fact must be heart braking then again its always taken you while to grasp the realty that you been very much on the slow side. If I were you I wouldn’t call other Moday’s.
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Ahmed L. / February 8, 2017
What a misleading title! For a moment I thought RAF gave a chase just because of their license (expiry)
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Analyst / February 8, 2017
Ahmed L
RAF chasing unlicensed crew in the Air is not a joke !! But a severe security threat to UK Airports and its Passengers.
Unlicensed SL cabin crew flying with expired licence issued by the Pakistani Aviation is A CRIMINAL ACT
could be a security threat to UK Airports.
This kind of security lapses to a nation can be disastrous.
A kind of prevention of a major disaster is an excellent piece of security alertness by the UK Aviation.
This cannot be considered a minor incident from the UK security point of view.
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Fathima / February 8, 2017
Analyst,
But that is not why they intercepted for.
Your point is correct. But do you think that RAF is like Sri Lanka traffic police to chase a vehicle over a phone call?
Obviously, they would do an immediate background check on the pilot. Crew licensed expired a few days back, but they are experienced and qualified crew, obviously without serious security concerns for UK.
You think RAF will go for mid-air interception drama?
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Analyst / February 8, 2017
You cannot travel with a Passport even if it was expired by 1 Day ! Eh!
How about flying an aircraft by the crew with EXPIRED LICENCE BY FEW DAYS.?
It’s a no no , a security risk is a crime to be proven why they took to sky with defunct flying licence.
All are involved , the SRILANKAn crew, the Pakistani a Aviation flying the SRILANKAn Aircraft under the PIA BANNER.
You can’t cover up as though you know the facts , and trying to twist the story.
Nobody knows the truth as in western world there are limitations as what you can publish and what you cannot publish in news papers.
Couple of years ago one of our own Minister’s son cricketer travelling from the U.S. got violent on board and tried to open the aircraft carrier door , the flight was diverted and he was taken off the plane.
Not every incident is reported fully of the nature of the incident nor identifying the culprit.
In SRILANKAn media they ever so ready to publish the gory details and the names of the Minority community etc , but. do not divulge the names of the Majority . The majority community has become the worst crooks and culprits in the world by this so called mollycoddling , not divulging their names.
This is bad journalism.
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Fathima / February 8, 2017
Ok Analyst, makes sense. cheers!
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Thanos / February 8, 2017
Taking the context of the article, all that you have said is Irrelevant! You are not being not very analytical are you?
The following facts are known:
1: ‘anonymous security threat’ via a phone call
2: ‘disruptive passenger’ caused the diversion
3: ‘Person wanted by Metropolitan Police’ was arrested.
But their is nothing about Sri Lankan Airlines or its pilots (Check News article at the very bottom of this comment).
It is CT that claims: “as it is reliably learnt that the business visas and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority endorsed flying licenses accorded to the Cabin Crew Members for this operation had expired a couple of days ago”
This is purely something CT claims. Off-course at the end of the day this may very well be true, but then again may be not. CT has NOT provided any evidence or sources for this claim. If they gave the source from UK aviation authorities, then we can verify this claim.
News articles:
Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4200300/Pakistani-plane-escorted-Stansted-fighter-jets.html
Mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-two-typhoon-jets-rush-9774060
Sky News: http://news.sky.com/story/raf-jets-scrambled-to-escort-pakistani-aircraft-to-stansted-10759521
The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2807577/pakistani-flight-lahore-stansted-security-threat/
The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/07/flight-from-pakistan-diverted-to-stansted-under-raf-escort-typhoon-fighter-jets
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / February 11, 2017
Hey get out of here with your “facts” and “sources”, this is no place for them :D
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jay / February 8, 2017
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy. For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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Thanos / February 8, 2017
Now that IS a VERY misleading title.
Here is a Daily Mail article on the matter – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4200300/Pakistani-plane-escorted-Stansted-fighter-jets.html
Key phrases are ‘anonymous security threat’, ‘disruptive passenger’ and ‘wanted by the Met Police’ and it says nothing about Sri Lankan Airlines or Pilots.
I honestly expected better from Colombo-Telegraph.
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Alterative Facts / February 8, 2017
Koheda yanne malle pol! “Unlicensed cabin crew intercepted by RAF fighter jets”???? Donald Trump would be proud of these “alternative facts”!
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vishvajith / February 9, 2017
I think these posts on UL are just to rile up the folks reading and commenting. Suffice to say, it’s not very good to one’s heart, to get riled up.
So let’s just ignore these until the setup goes private and then there is no one to write about.
I leave with my thought to the writer, ‘nikang palayang ban yanda.
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Gregory Fernandopulle / February 9, 2017
Sad FT publishes such un researched articles . This was a security issue and had nothing to do with the srilankan airplane or the crew !!! There is also a response from someone about the investment proposal from texas pacific group , what relevance has this to the escorting of the jet ? CT please grow is stature
thanks
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Peace Lover / February 9, 2017
All the UK newspapers only refer to ‘disruptive passenger’ and not unlicensed crew on board
even if the passport is expired by a day you cannot use it and same applies to flight crew
as always Colombo Telepgrapgh trying to run down Srilankan airlines ,its not done chaps its not done at all
Time for CT to stop acting like a 3rd class Brtish tabloid
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