Sri Lanka Rejects US Request to Deploy 2 Fighter Jets at Mattala Airport

JAKARTA - Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake revealed that his country rejected a request from the US to allow two fighter jets to land at Mattala International Airport.

Speaking in parliament, Dissanayake said Colombo had received a separate request on February 26 - one from Iran asking for permission for three naval vessels to make a friendly visit, according to a News 1st report.

Meanwhile, another request from the US asking for landing permission for two fighter jets stationed near Djibouti to land at Mattala International Airport, according to the report.

"With the two requests before us, the decision is clear," he said, noting that the government rejected both to avoid siding as signs of increased conflict emerged internationally, reported ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, March 21.

According to the New York Times, the US wanted to land and park two military planes loaded with weapons and ammunition in Sri Lanka just two days before its first attack on Iran.

The president stressed that giving access to one party could compromise Sri Lanka's neutral stance and risk dragging the country into a deeper conflict.

"To protect Sri Lanka's neutrality, permission was denied for both requests," he said.

He warned that if the permit is granted to any party, it could expose important locations, including Mattala International Airport and Colombo Port, to geopolitical tensions.

"We will not do that," Dissanayake said, reiterating that Sri Lanka would not be under pressure to abandon its neutrality.

In early March, 104 Iranian sailors were killed in a US attack in international waters off the southern coast of Sri Lanka when a US submarine fired on the Iranian IRIS Dena warship in the Indian Ocean.

Later, Sri Lankan authorities said they found 84 bodies from the water and rescued 32 sailors, while others were still missing.

Days later, Sri Lanka evacuated 208 people from a second Iranian ship, the IRIS Bushehr, after the ship requested help from Colombo.

Both ships were returning from the Milan Peace 2026 naval exercise in India.