"I am very proud of the manner in which our staff coped with the challenges of the situation, first assisting in the safe evacuation of passengers, and then working smoothly and efficiently to resume normal operations.â€
The airline said within three hours of the incident, its staff was ready to reopen all services at the airport for both inbound and outbound flights.
SriLankan is the sole ground handler at BIA and provides services which include handling of passengers, baggage and cargo, in-flight catering for all airlines.
The airline said its Emergency Response Plan was activated, within minutes of the incidend with key members of the management and staff working to ensure the safety of passengers, assisting stranded passengers, helping relatives searching for passengers, and resuming normal services at the airport and throughout the air