SriLankan Airlines has suspended its country manager in Bangkok following a physical altercation with the operating flight crew and the station manager at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the national carrier said on Thursday.
The incident took place on April 2, while crew were preparing for check-in, the airline said in a statement. The country manager entered the passenger check-in area and became involved in a physical confrontation with the operating crew and the station manager.
Company officials reported the matter to Bangkok airport police the same day and an investigation is under way, SriLankan said. The airline described the country manager’s actions as “unlawful, unwarranted and in breach of company rules and regulations”, and said the official had been suspended from service and instructed to return to Sri Lanka.
The official was not named. SriLankan did not comment on what may have triggered the altercation or whether Thai authorities had pressed charges.
The suspension is the latest in a string of governance-related incidents at the loss-making national carrier. Former chief executive Kapila Chandrasena was arrested last month in connection with the long-running Airbus bribery case, and the airline has separately issued warnings over WhatsApp scams impersonating SriLankan staff.
