The seizure of the aircraft led to a diplomatic spat between Moscow and Colombo.
Air traffic controllers denied clearance for flight SU289 to return to Moscow.
A case had been filed against Aeroflot by Celestial Aviation Trading 10 Limited.

An order prohibiting the departure of an Aeroflot Airbus A330 aircraft held at a key international airport of Sri Lanka due to a commercial dispute was reversed by a Sri Lankan court on Monday.

Air traffic controllers had denied clearance for flight SU289 to return to Moscow on Thursday following an order from the same court grounding the aircraft for two weeks.

A case had been filed against Aeroflot by Celestial Aviation Trading 10 Limited of Ireland over an undisclosed amount due to it from the Russian carrier.

The seizure of the aircraft led to a diplomatic spat, with Moscow summoning Sri Lanka’s top envoy to the Russian foreign ministry on Friday to hear a “resolute protest” over the detention.

Airport and Aviation Services, which runs the Bandaranaike International Airport, said in a statement the dispute was “purely of a commercial nature” and should not be subject to state involvement.

But on Monday the state attorney general moved to have the case heard two days ahead of schedule and pleaded for the aircraft to be allowed to fly back.

Aeroflot suspended all its international flights in March following tough Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but resumed operations to Colombo the following month.

To avoid seizure, Russia’s civil aviation authority suggested that airlines operating rental planes registered in other countries stop flying internationally.