17/12/2025
A plane circling over Sri Lanka….????
The calm of the night sky yesterday around the Chilaw area was suddenly disrupted by the roaring sound of an aircraft circling overhead. This caused concern and panic among residents, leading to confusion within the community and widespread speculation across the island.
As the Air Traffic Controllers’ Association of Sri Lanka, we believe it is our responsibility to educate the public and prevent such unnecessary panic in the future.
So, let’s get to the real story.
TK733 (THY34D) was a scheduled flight from Colombo to Istanbul, operated by an Airbus A330-300, carrying 202 passengers and 10 crew members. The flight departed normally around 2200 hrs on 16th December. Shortly after takeoff, the pilots reported an abnormal indication in the landing gear system to the Colombo Approach Control Centre and requested to enter a holding pattern at BI625, located over the Bangadeniya / Chilaw area.
After completing several orbits and as a precautionary safety measure, the decision was made to return to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). However, the aircraft had been fueled with approximately 98,000 kg of Jet A-1 fuel, which required weight reduction before a safe landing.
The pilots therefore requested to burn fuel while holding, instead of dumping it into the sea.
Low altitude orbiting = More fuel burning
This constant orbiting and fuel-burning process is what led to the aircraft circling in the sky, which was later reported in the media as “a plane circling over Sri Lanka.”
After nearly 30 orbits, TK733 landed safely at Katunayake at 12:27 a.m. All passengers and crew were unharmed.
Following landing, the aircraft was unable to vacate the runway due to nose-wheel steering failure. The BIA Control Tower, together with airport ground services, has already been prepared for this situation and coordinated towing arrangements to clear the runway promptly, especially considering it was a peak departure period.
During this time:
Flydubai FZ569 (Dubai - Colombo)
SriLankan Airlines UL232 (Dubai - Colombo)
were held airborne and subsequently diverted safely to Mattala Airport.
Once the aircraft was removed, it took approximately 40 minutes to clean the runway, including the removal of hydraulic oil, before normal operations could resume. This required significant effort and coordination from multiple airport teams.
Meanwhile:
Arkia IZ639 (Seychelles- Colombo )
Qatar Airways QR658 (Doha- Colombo)
AirAsia FD142 (Bangkok- Colombo)
were also held in the air and later landed safely at Katunayake once operations resumed. From that point onwards, normal operations at BIA continued as usual.
This incident highlights one important fact:
Air Traffic Controllers are continuously trained and fully prepared to manage such emergency situations at any time. These responsibilities are critical to aviation safety, and last night’s events demonstrated professionalism, coordination, and calm decision-making under pressure.
We extend our sincere appreciation to all Air Traffic Controllers, pilots, airport emergency services, ground handling teams, and all other relevant stakeholders who worked tirelessly through the night to ensure safety, efficiency, and the protection of human lives.
That’s what really happened last night. ✈️❤️
