A SriLankan Airlines captain was last week grounded due to an ongoing investigation over an incident that had taken place on flight UL 607 that flew from Sydney to Colombo on 21 September. 

The incident had resulted in SriLankan Airlines facing a downgrade in its safety rating.

Accordingly, AirlineRatings.com, a top airline rating site, had downgraded SriLankan’s safety rating from seven to six stars after the incident during a 10-hour flight from Sydney to Colombo aboard an Airbus A330.

The incident where the captain of the flight had locked the female first officer out of the cockpit over a disagreement on bathroom breaks was shared on social media last week, although the incident had taken place in September. It was reported that the incident had caused much disturbance to the airline crew as well as the passengers on board.

SriLankan Airlines last week confirmed that an investigation was currently underway in accordance with civil aviation regulations regarding the incident on flight UL 607.

The airline stated that it was fully cooperating with the relevant authorities and that the captain had been grounded pending the outcome of the investigation. “Safety and compliance with all regulatory requirements remain SriLankan Airlines’ top priorities,” a statement issued by the airline read.