Sri Lanka refused U.S. request to land warplanes: Dissanayake
The Hindu
Sri Lanka denies U.S. warplanes access to its airport, balancing ties with the U.S. and Iran amid trade interests.
Sri Lanka refused permission for the U.S. to land two of its warplanes in the island’s southeast Mattala International Airport in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Friday (March 20, 2026).
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Mr. Dissanayake said that two U.S. warplanes from Djibouti asked for permission to come to Sri Lanka on March 4 and 8. Both requests were rejected, he said.
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“We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We won’t give in. The Middle East war poses challenges but we will do everything possible to remain neutral,” he said.
“They wanted to bring in two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport and we said no,” the Sri Lankan President said.
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