A SriLankan Airlines flight arriving from Melbourne, Australia, made an emergency landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on 1 November night after smoke was detected in its cargo hold. 

However, the aircraft subsequently landed safely at the BIA, the SriLankan Airlines Head of Corporate Communications Deepal Perera said. The aircraft, flight UL 605, arrived from Melbourne at approximately 10.38 p.m. on 1 November. 

The incident occurred around 15 minutes before the aircraft was scheduled to land. Upon detecting the unusual situation, the pilot immediately alerted the Airport's operations control centre. Following the notification, emergency response arrangements were activated, with fire engines, doctors, nurses, rescue personnel and ambulances placed on standby. Nearby hospitals were also alerted to remain prepared for any emergency. 

Despite the incident, the pilot successfully landed the aircraft without any damage or injuries. The aircraft was an Airbus A330 wide-body jet carrying 258 passengers and 15 crew members. Subsequent inspections revealed that the smoke had originated from dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) used to preserve a consignment of meat stored in the cargo hold. Perera further stated that, after undergoing additional safety inspections, the aircraft departed from the BIA for another destination yesterday morning (2). 

The SriLankan Airlines has launched an investigation after Flight UL605 from Melbourne to Colombo declared an emergency following the activation of a smoke warning in the aircraft's cargo hold shortly before landing at the BIA. The flight, which was scheduled to arrive at 11.20 p.m. on 1 November, landed safely at the Airport. All passengers and crew members disembarked safely, with no injuries reported. The investigation has commenced to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.