Hundreds of stranded foreign tourists scrambled to grab airline seats as Sri Lanka's only international airport re-opened today after a 36-hour disruption following a major Tamil rebel attack.
State television said seven men were arrested in connection with yesterday's predawn attack against the key Katunayake military air base and the adjoining Bandaranaike International airport.
Eight military aircraft and three civilian passenger aircraft at the two facilities were completely destroyed while three more civilian jetliners were damaged. A total of 14 Tamil Tiger rebels and seven security personnel died.
Aviation Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said the airport was fully operational. "We are 100 percent operational now," Mr Fernandopulle said as the first aircraft landed since the devastating attack that cost the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, $350 million.
Pippa and Paul Hutchings, of Cardiff, were among the first to get a flight home. "We had a great holiday in Sri Lanka, but it turned into a nightmare at the airport," Pippa Hutchings told reporters before leaving the Colombo Hilton.
The scramble for seats was made worse with other airlines delaying a resumption of regular services to Colombo.
Emirates airline of Dubai, which owns 40 per cent of SriLankan and manages the local national carrier, said it intends to resume its own flights to Colombo on Friday.
The wrecks of SriLankan aircraft were covered in plastic sheets to prevent ashes being sucked into the engines of other aircraft landing and taking off from the airport.
"We have covered the wrecks with plastic canopy until the wreckage can be removed after insurance inspections," an airport official said.
Around 4,000 foreign tourists were in Sri Lanka and many were left stranded after the airport was shut down. No foreign tourists were hurt but hundreds fled the airport when the fighting started.
AFP