SriLankan Airlines Did Not Fly to Rome to Bring Back Minister Bimal Rathnayake

False claims about individuals, particularly those in the political sphere, frequently circulate on social media. This fact check examines a post currently circulating about Minister Bimal Rathnayake.

Social Media Posts :

The following social media post, published on March 9, claimed that Minister Bimal Rathnayake was in Rome, and that a UL 1214 flight had flown to Rome without passengers to bring him back.

Facebook | Archived Link

Many people appeared to believe that the above post was true and shared their opinions about it, while others shared the post on their own social media accounts.

Similarly, several other posts were circulated on social media claiming that a flight had departed to bring the Minister back.

Facebook | Archived Link

Facebook | Archived Link

Facebook | Archived Link

Accordingly, we took steps to verify the accuracy of these posts.

Fact Check :

First, we examined whether the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake had recently visited Italy and whether he was still there on 9 March when social media posts claimed that a SriLankan Airlines flight had departed to bring him back.

Media reports about Minister Bimal Rathnayake’s visit to Italy

A news website reported that Minister Bimal Rathnayake arrived in Rome to deliver a letter from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake inviting His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to visit Sri Lanka on an official visit. It also reported that the Minister met the Sri Lankan community living in Rome on 1 March in this way. Another report regarding the Minister’s visit to Italy can be found here. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Italy reported that on 2 March, the Minister met Monsignor Mihaita Blaj, the Under Secretary for Relations with States at the Vatican, and delivered the letter from the President inviting the Pope to visit Sri Lanka next year. Officials, including the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy, were also present at the meeting. Photographs of the event were published on the embassy’s official Facebook page in this way.

Social Media Posts

During our observations, we also found several social media posts confirming that the Minister had recently visited Italy. A post on the JVP Italia Facebook page stated that Minister Bimal Rathnayake arrived in Italy via Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on February 28, accompanied by photographs. It also mentioned that the Minister was scheduled to meet the Sri Lankan community in Italy on March 1, and that on March 2 he was scheduled to present the President’s invitation to His Holiness the Pope to visit Sri Lanka.

However, we did not find any social media posts confirming that the Minister remained in Rome after that.

Leader of the House of Parliament, Minister Bimal Rathnayake in Parliament

Leader of the House of Parliament, Minister Bimal Rathnayake participated in parliamentary sessions on March 5 and March 6. On March 5, the Minister expressed views in Parliament during the afternoon session, and on March 6, the Minister presented several annual reports to Parliament.

This confirms that Minister Bimal Rathnayake had already returned to Sri Lanka by the afternoon of March 5, after completing his visit to Rome. In such circumstances, the social media posts claiming that a SriLankan Airlines flight departed to Rome on March 9 in order to bring the Minister back have no basis.

Special flight that departed to Rome

An Instagram post on a government news website reported that SriLankan Airlines flight UL 1213 departed from Bandaranaike International Airport to Rome Fiumicino Airport on March 9 to provide relief for passengers affected by flight disruptions. It also noted that this was a special event, as it was the first time in nearly 10 years that a national carrier flight had travelled to the Italian capital.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Civil Aviation had stated on March 7 that a special flight to Rome would be operated in the coming days. Another news report stated that SriLankan Airlines operated a special charter flight from Colombo to Rome yesterday (9 March) at the request of the Italian Embassy.

Special flight that departed to Rome

An Instagram post (Archived Link) on a government news website reported that SriLankan Airlines flight UL 1213 departed from Bandaranaike International Airport to Rome Fiumicino Airport on March 9 to provide relief for passengers affected by flight disruptions. It also noted that this was a special event, as it was the first time in nearly 10 years that a national carrier flight had travelled to the Italian capital.

Statement from the Civil Aviation Authority

The Civil Aviation Authority issued a statement on March 9 regarding information circulating on social media about the UL 1213 flight belonging to SriLankan Airlines, which departed from Sri Lanka to Rome. The statement mentioned that the flight had been organized with full government intervention to assist passengers facing difficulties due to the situation that had arisen in the Middle East, and that the social media posts circulating about the flight were false. The statement further explained that the UL 1213 flight departed for Rome on March 9 in order to allow passengers who had planned to travel to Europe and beyond via the Middle East, and who had already booked tickets, to travel directly to Rome.

The statement also clearly mentioned that this was not an operation conducted to bring a government minister back to Sri Lanka, and that the Minister had already returned to Sri Lanka several days earlier.

Media Secretary of Minister Bimal Rathnayake

The Media Secretary stated that the posts circulating on social media were completely false. He further said that the Minister attended a ceremony on March 10, where President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also participated, to provide new appointments for drivers and conductors of the Sri Lanka Transport Board.

He also confirmed that after completing his visit to Rome, the Minister returned to Sri Lanka on the morning of March 5, and that he attended the parliamentary session later that same afternoon. The Media Secretary also mentioned that the Minister attended the Cabinet meeting on March 9.

He further stated that after visiting Belgium, the Minister travelled to Italy carrying the President’s invitation to His Holiness the Pope to visit Sri Lanka. He also clarified that the Minister did not return to Sri Lanka via SriLankan Airlines, but arrived through a transit journey.

Director General of Civil Aviation Authority

When we inquired about the posts circulating on social media, Director General of Civil Aviation Captain Daminda Rambukwella stated that the posts were completely false. He mentioned that the flight in question departed on the morning of 9 March, and by that time the Minister had already returned to Sri Lanka.

He also stated that false posts about himself were circulating on social media, and that he intends to file a complaint about them.

SriLankan Airlines Media Spokesperson, Deepal Perera

SriLankan Airlines Media Spokesperson Deepal Perera also stated that the posts claiming a SriLankan Airlines flight departed to Rome to bring Minister Bimal Rathnayake back were completely false.

He further explained that the airline had operated a charter flight to transport foreign tourists who were in Sri Lanka. The spokesperson also noted that payments are made for both sectors of such charter flights the departure and the return journey.

He also stated that while the flight departed with passengers, it did not return with passengers and instead brought back cargo only.

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Conclusion :

Our investigation shows that the social media posts claiming that a flight departed to Rome to bring Minister Bimal Rathnayake back are false.

The UL 1213 flight departed for Rome on March 9 to provide relief for passengers affected by flight disruptions, particularly those travelling to Europe. By the time the flight departed, Minister Bimal Rathnayake had already completed their visit to Rome and returned to Sri Lanka on March 5, confirming that the claims circulating on social media are inaccurate.