Is it safe to visit Sri Lanka and can I cancel my holiday?

Lloyd Kane, managing partner at Rickshaw Travel, said it was contacting customers with a trip “planned or pending to advise and support them”. 

Those who have not booked with a tour operator should contact their airline and accommodation separately for their cancellation policies, Abta said. Emirates, for example, offered anyone due to travel before Sunday (April 21) the opportunity to amend their booking, but that window has now closed.

Have flights been affected?

No, flights are still operating in and out of Bandaranaike International, however, security has been stepped up at the airport. A statement from the airport near the capital, Colombo, advised passengers to arrive at least four hours before departure to allow for the additional security measures.

Sri Lankan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said passengers should be able to reach the airport during the government-imposed curfew by producing their tickets and passports to security forces at checkpoints.

The airline said it wanted to thank its “friends and supporters across the world, who expressed solidarity, sympathy and words of courage in this hour of grief and despair”.