Ajahn Brahmawanso (Ajahn Brahm) Thero of Thailand, who was scheduled to leave for Singapore on May 31, could not board the scheduled flight due to a delay by the SriLankan Airlines facilitator, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) stated.
CAASL stated the above in the report of the investigation carried out following an order by the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake to the CAASL to conduct an immediate investigation regarding the inconvenience caused to Brahmawanso Thero.
Brahmawanso Thero was scheduled to depart from Singapore Airlines flight SQ 469 at 5:00 pm on the 31st May via the VIP terminal.
SriLankan Airlines acted as the facilitator for his flight. He had completed the necessary check-in, customs and immigration formalities for take-off several hours before the scheduled time and stayed in the VIP lounge.
An investigation by the CAASL had revealed that even though the flight took off on time, the facilitator did not take Brahmawanso Thero to the flight at the said time. Brahmawanso Thero was delayed for 12 hours due to the said situation.
The Daily Mirror newspaper reported on June 1 that Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardana left for Thailand on the same flight. However later the Daily Mirror published a clarification on June 02 that it was not the Prime Minister Gunawardana but the Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who was connected to this incident.
When the FactSeeker queried from Media Secretary of the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation, Viraj Abeysinghe, said that the media reports stating that Brahmawanso Thero was inconvenienced due to flight travel of Minister De Silva are completely false.
He also clarified Minister De Silva arrived at the scheduled time to depart for China in the relevant flight and that has no connection to the inconvenience faced by Brahmawamso Thero.
In the meantime, SriLankan Airlines issued a statement stating that the reports that SriLankan Airlines has made caused inconvenience to Brahmawamso Thero at Katunayake Airport are completely false.
It is further stated in the announcement that Brahmawanso Thero was scheduled to leave the country on a plane belonging to another airline on the 31st May, and SriLankan Airlines, which promptly came forward at the time of the relevant delay, provided Brahmawanso Thero the opportunity to travel on a plane belonging to their airline.
