The Sri Lankan government imposed a two-week ban on airline passengers from Gulf states on Tuesday, citing coronavirus rules but without elaborating.
The civil aviation authority said anyone who had been in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain or Kuwait in the past 14 days was not permitted to fly to Colombo.
The reason for the ban was unclear. Travel from Sri Lanka to several Gulf countries including UAE has been prohibited since May.
Sri Lanka suffered a series of spikes in coronavirus case numbers at about the same time as cases in India surged, although not on the same scale.
Daily cases have hovered around 2,000 in the past week, in a country with a population of about 22 million. In May, daily cases were about 3,600.
Capt Themiya Abeywickrama, director general of Sri Lanka's civil aviation authority, told local media that passengers passing through Gulf states were permitted.
In a statement on its website, Emirates Airline, said: "Effective June 30 until July 13, customers will not be accepted for travel on Emirates to Colombo."
It said passengers can rebook their flights or choose alternatives.
On Tuesday, the UAE extended restrictions on passengers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka until July 21, national carrier Etihad Airways said.
A ban on passengers from India began in April and was expanded to the other three countries on May 12, after each of them reported the Delta coronavirus strain.
India flight ban grounds flights - in pictures
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A passenger waits at the drop-off point at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Getty Images -
Security personnel check the identity card of a man before allowing him inside Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Getty Images -
Passengers from the UK get tested for Covid-19 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. AFP -
A health worker takes swab sample of a passenger arriving from the UK at Anna International Airport in Chennai. AFP -
Passengers wait at the drop-off point at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Getty Images -
Passengers at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Getty Images -
Passengers have their luggage checked before entering Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Getty Images -
A woman waits for her luggage to be disinfected at the drop-off point before entering Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Getty Images -
Passengers queue at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Getty Images
