Sri Lankan flight barred from landing at VIA, passengers informed that the airport \'has suspended all flights\'

Velana International Airport (VIA) runway has been closed off, suspending all flights.

Highrise’s founder Ismail Hameed first tweeted on the issue.

Hameed, traveling from Sri Lanka to Maldives, tweeted that the captain of Sri Lankan Airline Flight UL109 had announced that “Maldives Airports has suspended all flights”. He noted that this was announced after keeping them onboard for over an hour.

He further noted that the flight had been “full” and that the captain had told them that he “has no control as the Maldivian authorities has not allowed them to fly in”.

Speaking to RaajjeTV, Hameed said that all passengers on the flight, including locals and tourists, were “frustrated” over the matter.

An official from Velana International Airport told RaajjeMV that the runway is closed from 12 am to 6 am every night, adding that this has been the protocol for the past two years. He said that the reason for closing off the runway at that time "for some maintenance work".