There are several airports in Sri Lanka. The largest is called Bandaranaike. It is an international airport in the city of Colombo. (Western part of the island). This is where planes arrive from Russia.
I will tell you about the airport itself and what else is convenient at Bandaranaike airport
Name: Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport.
There are other names for this airport: Katunayake International Airport (Katunayke), airport in Negombo. They are all one and the same airport.
Time zone GMT (winter / summer): +5: 30 / + 5: 30
The geographical coordinates of the airport: Latitude (7.18), Longitude (79.88)
Location: 35 km north of Colombo
Number of terminals: 1
Postal address: Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Sri Lanka
Airport Directorate Phone: +94 11 225 26 66
Airport Information Phone: +94 11 225 28 61
Official airport website: www.airport.lk
The airport is small and spacious. Which is very convenient for tourists - it has only one terminal. So, it is impossible to be wrong: both arrival and departure are in the same place.
The airport has comfortable conditions for tourists. There are toilets, showers, rest rooms, rooms for children, a smoking room. Snack bars and restaurants. Prayer room. Shops, banks, exchangers, telephone communications, ordering a transfer, taxi, excursions. Everything you need for a comfortable arrival at the international airport.
Airport layout Arrivals hall
Airport layout Departure hall
How to get from / to Bandaranaike airport
The airport is located 35 km from the city of Colombo.
The easiest way to get to Colombo is by taxi. Parking lot next to the airport exit. The approximate cost of a taxi ride to Colombo is 1500 LAN. rupees / 540 rub. (car), 2000 LAN. rupees / 720 rub. (minivan) or 1000 LAN. rupees / 360 rub. (knock Knock). Information updated for June 2015.
If you like to plan everything in advance and want to be met at the airport, then you need to order a transfer in advance. You can do this online through the form below. We used their services, we liked everything. At the time of booking, you need to pay about 15% of the transfer cost, pay the rest of the amount in cash to the driver.
By expressway you can get from the airport to Colombo by express bus number 187 direction Colombo - Katunayake or or by mini bus number 187.
The fare on the express bus is 120 rupees, luggage is free. The ticket is sold by the conductor on the bus itself. Travel time ranges from 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on the congestion of the highway - it takes longer to go in the evening rush hour).
The express bus starts at 5:30, the last bus from the airport at 21:00, the last bus from Colombo at 20:30.
The express bus stop is marked on the map above (hover over the red circles and press). The number and direction of the bus is not always indicated, so check with local residents (employees) on the spot if this is the bus. The final stop of the bus is the Central Bus station. Colombo Fort railway station is nearby.
The minibus runs around the clock on a regular road. Travel time is an hour and a half. The final one is Colombo Fort railway station.
From Colombo to the airport you can get the same buses.
Many tourists do not stop in Colombo, but immediately go to rest (30 minutes by taxi) to the beach in Negombo. Taxi to Negombo costs 1380 - 1518 Sri Lankan rupees (Currency of Sri Lanka. There will be a link here)
If you do decide to stay in Colombo, then check with your hotel or landlord. In 99 cases, they are ready to provide a transfer.
What else can you do at Bandaranaike Airport
The airport is a neutral zone. To leave it in the country is needed. Sri Lanka is a visa state.
Visa
You can also open a visa at Bandaranaike airport. Although it's best to do it at home
- at the consulate of the State of Sri Lanka
- or obtained via the Internet on the official website of Sri Lanka
But the cases are different. I'll tell you mine:
When going to Sri Lanka, check your passport in advance. When opening a visa for Sri Lankans, the rule is: "The validity of the passport after the day of your arrival from the state of Sri Lanka must be at least 6 months."
I didn’t look at my passport (I didn’t have it for 6 months), so I was worried about opening a visa. I called the consulate, where they offered me different options:
- you can come to the consulate for an appointment and receive a document according to which a visa will be opened for you at the airport
- you need to make a new passport and get a visa at the same airport. But for some reason the Sri Lankans do not like this option. Maybe they don't want to create a queue at the airport (as they explain themselves).
I chose the option with a new passport, but still clarified whether there would be problems on the spot. There were no problems. Queues too. It took 5 minutes to get a visa at the airport.
So, you can get a visa at the airport, but it's better to clarify the rules. Sri Lanka is becoming increasingly popular with tourists and entry rules are subject to change.
mobile connection
At the airport, you can buy a SIM card from the local telephone company. So the card of the Sri Lankan mobile operator DialogEverything costs $ 10. This money is immediately credited to the account as a deposit. The cost of a call to Russia is about 7 cents per minute. There is access to an international line (* 100 # country code and subscriber's number at home).
There is access to the mobile Internet. It is convenient to determine your location using a GPS map and look for attractions
A call to Ukraine costs about $ 4 per minute - you have to buy another card. Perhaps this is the mobile operator AirTel. Check on the spot!
Money exchange
It is very convenient to exchange most of the money at the airport. Bandaranaike has the best course. When exchanging, you will be given a check and a document (something like an invoice). Save these documents.
After the trip, as a rule, we have local money in our hands and it is very difficult to change it for rubles or dollars. Either impossible or very low rate in the city. At the airport, you can exchange the remaining rupees at the same rate as you changed upon arrival. You will need to present your receipt and invoice.
Buy souvenirs
There are souvenir shops with teas, sweets, souvenirs, and national clothes at the airport. But the prices are no longer the same as in the city, but higher.
Sri Lanka has two international airports where airplanes with tourists can arrive. The first and main one is most often called Colombo Airport, although it is located 35 km north of Colombo, near the city of Negombo. The second airport of Sri Lanka is located in the south of the island and, accordingly, is of interest to those who travel to the south.
In this article, you will learn:
Sri Lanka's main airport is Bandaranaike Airport
Sri Lanka main airport namewhere the vast majority of aircraft arrive - Bandaranaike International Airport (airport code CMB). Most often it is referred to simply as "Colombo International Airport". Although Colombo has another small airport and there is a risk of confusing the two airports. But let's talk about everything in order, and first, let's deal with the main airport.
Distance from airport Bandaranaike to the capital of Sri Lanka Colombo - 35 km. The road to the city center takes about 45 minutes if you go on a toll road. The city closest to the airport is Negombo (~ 10 km and 20 minutes by taxi).
To reach a hotel in almost any corner of Sri Lanka, you can visit the website or.
Sri Lanka hotels near Colombo airport- on booking.com or agoda.com.
Find Cheap Flights to Colombo Airport the Aviasales website will help.
Memo to departing from Sri Lanka: it is better to arrive at the airport in advance. Before check-in, you need to go through two security checks, which take at least 30 minutes.
24-hour services at Colombo International Airport
Currency exchange in the arrivals hall at Colombo airport Almost all services at Colombo International Airport are round the clock, so 24 hours a day you can:
- get a visa upon arrival (the procedure for obtaining a visa and a list of required documents - in the article Visa upon arrival in Sri Lanka);
- buy alcohol or cigarettes in the duty-free area in the arrival area after passport control (customs restrictions on the import of alcohol into Sri Lanka - 1.5 liters per person),
- change money at exchange offices (there are exchange offices both in the arrival hall and in the departure hall);
- withdraw cash in local currency (rupees) from ATMs in the arrivals hall;
- buy a SIM card from any of the five mobile operators (in the arrival hall);
- get information brochures and a free map of Sri Lanka at the counter of the Ministry of Tourism (located in the arrivals hall to the right of the exchange offices);
- take a taxi in Colombo or other cities of Sri Lanka in the arrivals hall or in the Taxi window on the street (read about the nuances of a taxi at the airport in the article How and where to order a taxi from Colombo airport).
Colombo International Airport (Bandaranaike) on the map:
Official site Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport - http://www.airport.lk
Mattala International Airport in southern Sri Lanka
Name of the second international airport of Sri Lanka - Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport or abbreviated MRIA, code - HRI) or Hambantota airport. The airport was built on a large scale, but did not live up to the hopes and money spent on it. At the moment, only Flydubai and a few domestic airlines fly to this airport.
Distance from airport Mattala Rajapaksa to the coastal city of Hambantota is 26 km (about 30 minutes by taxi), to Colombo 262 km (at least 4.5 hours by car).
Sri Lanka hotels near the airport Mattala - on booking.com or agoda.com.
Order a transfer (taxi) from the airport to the hotel on the website or.
Find cheap flights to Mattala (Hambantota) airport the Aviasales website will help.
Official site Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport - http://www.airport.lk/mria
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on the map:
When is it more convenient and more profitable to fly to Mattala airport (Hambantota)
- if you plan to relax on the southern beaches of Sri Lanka: Tangalla, Weligama, Mirissa, Unawatuna, Hambantota.
- if the air ticket to the airport in Mattala Rajapaksa is cheaper than in Colombo, then it makes sense to use this option for relaxing on the beaches of Koggala and Hikkaduwa. To find cheap plane tickets, use the Aviasales website.
- if you plan to travel to such attractions of Sri Lanka as the sacred city of Kataragama and the Yala reserve. It is much faster to get from Mattala airport than from Colombo. For example, you can get to Yalu in 2 hours (the road from Colombo will take at least 5 hours)
How not to confuse Colombo airports
At the beginning of the article, I wrote that there is a small airport in Colombo - Ratmalana. This airport also has international status, but at the moment only domestic flights, small charter and cargo planes fly from Ratmalan airport.
The airport is located in Colombo, in the popular tourist area of \u200b\u200bLavinia.
Near the largest city of Sri Lanka, there are 2 air ports at once - Bandaranaik airport and Ratmalana airport. The first is the main international airport in Sri Lanka, passing through its terminal the main flow of foreign tourists arriving in the country.
How much to fly to Colombo from Moscow
Travel time: 10 hours (1 change)
Time difference with Moscow: -1.5 hours
Colombo International Airport (CMB)
Address: Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, Canada Friendship Road, Katunayake 11450, Negombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Phone: + (94 11) 225-28-61
Sri Lanka's main international airport is known by several names: Colombo Airport, Bandaranaike Airport, Katunayake Airport, and Negombo Airport. It is located 35 km. north of Colombo, near the village of Katunayake.
Colombo Airport (zone diagram and) was originally used as a base for the British Air Force, however, after the reconstruction in 1983, it received the status of the largest and most modern airport not only in Sri Lanka, but in the entire region.
More than 20 of the world's largest air carriers work with Colombo Airport, including Emirates, Air India, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Jet Airways. It is the home hub of Sri Lanka's largest airline, SriLankan Airlines.
Buy a local SIM card and change the brought currency to
sri Lankan rupees are most convenient in the territory of Colombo airport.
Colombo Airport consists of 1 runway and 1 terminal, equipped with all the necessary services, shops and food outlets. Paid car parking is available near the Colombo airport terminal, as well as a parking lot for local taxi drivers
Colombo Airport Transportation
From Bandaranaike Airport, Colombo, Negombo and other nearby cities can be reached either by public transport or by taxi.
Public transport - buses to Colombo (No. 240, ticket - 50 LAN. Rupees / 13 rubles) and Negombo (No. 240, 240/3) depart from the Averywatt bus station, located 500 meters from the terminal building. Shuttle buses run between the bus station and the Colombo Airport terminal every 15 minutes. You can also use the bus number 187 passing by the airport (ticket - 200 lana. Rupees / 53 rubles), but before that you need to walk to the bus stop located on the highway outside the airport.
From Colombo airport to the city can be reached by train. To do this, you need to get (on foot or take a tuk-tuk) to Katunayaka South station, which is 1 km away. from the terminal. From this station for 100 LAN. rupees (27 rubles) you can get to the central station of Colombo Colombo Fort.
Bus station and railway station at Colombo airport on the map
Also, directly in the airport building, you can order a taxi - a car, minibus or tuk-tuk. The main taxi operator at Colombo Airport is the state-owned Airport and Aviation Services (+ (94 11) 225-28-61 ext. 3097), whose counter is located right in the arrivals area. Also, a taxi at Colombo airport can be ordered by phone at Airport Express (+ (94 11) 555-50-50), Quick radio Cabs (+ (94 11) 2502888/9)
The average cost of a taxi ride to Colombo is 1500 LAN. rupees / 398 rub. (car), 2000 LAN. rupees / 531 rub. (minivan) or 1000 LAN. rupees / 265 rubles (knock Knock). Taxi fares to other cities in Sri Lanka can be viewed.
Colombo International Airport on the map
Ratmalana International Airport (RML)
Address: Ratmalana International Airport, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Phone: + (94 11) 262-30-30
Ratmalana is the second largest and second largest airport serving the main city of Sri Lanka, which is also the main base of the local air force. Prior to the modernization of Bandaranaike Airport, it remained the country's central airport for a long time.
This Sri Lanka airport is located on the coast, next to the popular beach resort Mount Lavinia, 13 km away. south of Colombo. Ratmalana Airport is mainly used for local flights (Expo Aviation, AeroLanka) or small international carriers.
Due to the lack of regular public transport services, you can get from Ratmalan Airport to Colombo either by taxi or by a bus transferring from the hotel.
The official name of Colombo Airport (CMB) is Bandaranaike International Airport. In English, this is Bandaranaike International Airport. Today, Bandaranaike is the most important airport in Sri Lanka, receiving almost 42,000 flights a year and almost 5 million passengers. In addition, Colombo Airport handles over 170,000 tons of cargo annually.
The current operator of Sri Lanka's main airport is Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. Colombo Airport was built during World War II and served as a base for the RAF. It is still used for military purposes, but today this airport is used primarily for civil aviation. Colombo Bandaranaike Airport is very important for Sri Lanka. The airport currently has 4 gates with 39 check-in counters and 3 cargo terminals. It serves 25 airlines, including well-known airlines such as Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, as well as major Asian airlines Indian Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines and Emirates.
Despite the fact that Colombo Airport does not fully meet international standards, it has received numerous awards from various airlines and magazines.
Colombo airport on Sri Lanka map
Despite the fact that the airport is attributed to the city of Colombo, in fact, it is located quite far from this city, about 35 km north of the capital of Sri Lanka. Much closer to the Bandaranaike airport is the city of Negombo, but in general this airport is located on the territory of the Katunayak village.Colombo airport online scoreboard
How to get from Bandaranaike airport to Colombo
To get from Bandaranaike Airport to Colombo city, you can take a taxi or bus. You can also rent a car, but doing it in Sri Lanka is not as easy as in many other countries around the world.
The taxi fare from Bandaranaike Airport to the capital of Sri Lanka is around Rs 3,000. If you want to take the expressway, there is usually an additional charge of Rs. 300. Taxi cars are waiting for passengers at any time of the day, but you can always order a taxi in advance on the Kiwi-Taxi website.
Bus airport - Colombo
If you do not want to spend a lot of money on the trip from Colombo airport to the capital of Sri Lanka, then you can use the bus.Buses from the airport to Colombo run every half hour from 05:30 to 18:30 and a one-way trip costs just Rs 130. Colombo Main Bus Station is about 45 minutes' drive away. You need to take Express Bus 187. This bus travels from Colombo International Airport on the new expressway, which saves a lot of time.
After 6:30 pm, some air-conditioned private buses 187 may wait outside the airport for tourists, but they operate on their own. That is, how lucky you are.
The bus goes to the main bus station of Colombo, where you can change to another bus and get to your desired place in Sri Lanka. There is also a train station nearby, from where you can travel by train.
Services and amenities at Colombo airport
As with any international airport, Bandaranaike Airport offers travelers different places to satisfy their hunger or thirst. In the departure hall, Sri Lankan Airlines even has its own restaurant with delicious cuisine. It serves national and international cuisine. Sri Lankan Airlines Restaurant offers hot and cold drinks. Of course there are other restaurants and cafes as well.
Six banks offer passengers the option to exchange currency at Colombo Airport. All exchangers can be found in the arrivals hall. So you won't have any problems with currency exchange before further travel around the island. Although the exchange rate in exchange offices at Colombo airport is not the most favorable, it is still noticeably more profitable than in most hotels in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike Airport has a variety of shops to help you pass the time and shop for something interesting. For example, you can buy local souvenirs, handmade fabrics and other goods here. Duty free shops are also waiting for guests and offer a variety of electronic products, spirits, jewelry and perfumes.
In case you decide to go on vacation with children, Colombo Airport will provide special facilities for younger guests. Here children can play or watch cartoons.
A medical center can be found in the arrival hall of Colombo Airport. In addition to trained nurses and emergency doctors, the medical center also provides the ability to quickly transport to the hospital in case of an emergency.
Colombo airport history
Finally, I would like to tell you briefly about the history of the main airport of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's civil aviation industry was born in the 1930s with the construction of an airfield at Ratmalan. Bandaranaike Airport was built by the British in the mid-1940s primarily as an Air Force base and supply center for aircraft used in World War II. With assistance from the Government of Canada, the airport was upgraded to serve 150,000 passengers a year in 1968. In 1981, with the assistance of the Government of the Netherlands, the Airport Master Plan was developed. The government of Japan has assisted in the further development of the airport with all the necessary facilities to ensure an annual passenger turnover of 3.5 million people. Colombo Airport reached such a passenger turnover in 1988. The Japanese government also helped expand the airport and create a modern terminal building with 8 contact gates and 14 check-in stands. The project was completed in 2005 and provided the airport with the capacity to handle 6 million passengers a year.
After the end of the internal conflict in Sri Lanka, which impeded economic growth for about 30 years, in 2009 the economy of Sri Lanka began to grow in many ways. Income from foreign tourists in 2010 increased by almost 50 percent compared to 2009. Given the increased demand, a new airport terminal was designed to handle an additional 9 million passengers per year. With this expansion, the airport's capacity has been increased to 15 million passengers per year.
Every year tourism brings more and more foreign exchange earnings to the treasury of Sri Lanka. The role of Bandaranaike Airport, located in the west of the country, is to welcome the colossal number of foreigners who visit the blessed Buddha Island every year. The air gate was built in the city of Negombo, 30 km from the capital.
In addition, there are Ratmalana airports in the city of Colombo and Mattala in the south of the island. They play a smaller role and serve mainly domestic airlines. Almost every tourist or private person arriving in Ceylon steps on his land in Negombo.
Terminal appearance
For ease of perception, international air carriers and travel companies call this air harbor Colombo airport, although, we repeat, it is located 30 km from the capital and should not be confused with the Ratmalan airport in the city.
general information
Official website: http://www.airport.lk/
Airport Code: CMB (IATA)
Address: Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Sri Lanka
Administration phone: +94 11 225 26 66
Inquiry: +94 11 225 28 61
Online scoreboard
Airport Colombo serves mainly scheduled flights to South and East Asia. These include flights to Thailand, India, China, UAE, Singapore, Bahrain and Kuwait. In addition, there are several flights a day to the capital of the Maldives. There is also a direct connection with London. Most of the tourists in Sri Lanka are British.
On the Colombo online scoreboard, you can see the flight number and its status, arrival time, destination and the name of the airline. It should be noted that the information provided online about the departure time may change.
Colombo Airport invites you to familiarize yourself with the online flight departure board for today at the link:
Airport scoreboard
Bandaranaike Airport: how to get there
Colombo city can be reached in several ways:
- bus;
- taxi;
- transfer;
- knock Knock.
The price of the trip starts from 120 rupees *. Travel time by taxi will be at least 50 minutes, by bus 1.5–2.5 hours.
An express bus runs between the airport and the central bus station of the island's capital. Its board number is 187-E3, and STLB is written on the windshield. Departure every half hour from 5-30 to 20-30. The last return flight to the airport leaves at 18-00.
Attention! There is no clear timetable for this bus, and the driver does not consider it necessary to adhere to it. Therefore, he can easily be late for the plane's departure. It is better to calculate the departure with a margin of several hours.
The bus expects arriving passengers at a stop 50 meters from the arrivals area. After leaving it, you need to turn left.
There are also private minibuses with the same number 187-E3, but they leave around the clock, unlike STLB.
Additional Information
There are no direct routes to the resorts of Sri Lanka from Colombo Airport. This country is small, which is noticeable on the map. In any case, tourists need to get to the bus station of the capital in order to then change to the desired bus or minibus.
Note! In order not to find yourself in a situation where a cunning "taxi driver" demands from a passenger an amount 3, 5 or 10 times the cost of a trip, you should order a taxi at government counters. There are two of them at the airport: near the currency exchange office in the arrivals area and at the exit from it.
This method of transportation has significant disadvantages:
- the risk of getting into the queue for tickets;
- the risk of buying a ticket for a car in a terrible technical condition, which simply will not reach;
- the risk that the driver will simply not be there.
You don't have to go to the taxi stand and catch a car on the street, but there is no guarantee that the tourist will not be deceived when calculating the cost of the trip. One of the ways of deception can be a trip on a supposedly toll highway, when it is not.
The fastest and most comfortable way to get to Colombo is by transfer. Moreover, it is also the most expensive. When traveling in a group, you can order a minivan, which will help to reduce the cost of travel.
Tuk-tuk will become an exotic way of getting around the island. At the same time, it is necessary to bargain for the trip, otherwise its cost will be comparable to a taxi.
A very unconventional way to get to the desired resort is to travel by air. Foreigners can travel to the local Ratmalan airport, where they can change to a light single-engine aircraft. However, it will take longer and more expensive.
There are two car parks at Colombo Airport. The first is short-term and is used by locals. The second is for foreigners who leave their cars here for a long time. It is open and guarded, located near the arrivals area.
Airport territory
Colombo CMB Airport has four terminals:
- international passenger, built in 1967;
- international, which is still under construction. Completion expected in 2019;
- domestic lines terminal, opened since 2012;
- cargo terminal.
Colombo airport terminal layout in Russian
Arrivals hall
The main terminal is two-level. Upstairs in the arrival hall there are booths for passport control, visa processing and currency declaration. Below there are baggage claim conveyor belts, green and red corridors, bank offices and travel agencies.
The departure hall is equipped with a cafe, a recreation area, duty-free shops and bank offices. Immigration and passport control are located at the very end of the hall.
Departure hall
The waiting area for the boarding gate is not equipped with toilets, so it is best to go there shortly before take-off.
The only runway is covered with asphalt. Currently, it is no longer enough for the full arrival of aircraft and the state plans to build a new runway. It will provide reception of large-sized airbuses.
In addition to the mentioned duty-free shops and banking points, here are the following services:
- room for mother and child;
- unlimited wi-fi.
The Serenediva Colombo Hotel is open in the transit area. Pension Grandiose Colombo is 4 km from the airport.
Airlines at Colombo airport
The arrival board at Colombo airport indicates a predominantly Asian orientation of regular flights. The following airlines are represented here:
- Air China - Chengdu;
- China Southern Airlines - Guangzhou;
- China Eastern Airlines - Shanghai;
- Malaysia Airlines - Kuala Lumpur;
- Kuwait Airways - Kuwait;
- SilkAir and Singapore Airlines - Singapore;
- Air India - Chennai, Delhi;
- Korean Air - Seoul, etc.
In addition to London, the European direction is represented by regular flights to Istanbul and Kiev, by Turkish Airlines and UIA, respectively.
Seasonal and charter flights are carried out by the following companies:
- Austrian Airlines - to Vienna;
- Azur Air - to Moscow (Domodedovo);
- Edelweiss Air - to Zurich;
- Enter Air and LOT Polish Airlines - to Warsaw;
- KLM - to Amsterdam;
- RoyalFlight - to Moscow (Sheremetyevo);
- Thomas Cook Airlines to Manchester and London;
- TUI Airways - in Helsinki, London and Stockholm.
Domestic flights to cities and resorts in Sri Lanka are operated by Millennium Airlines, Cinnamon Air and SriLankan Airlines. For the latter, this airport is the base.
Buddha at the entrance to the airport
Sri Lanka's main airport, Bandaranaike, is a graphic illustration of the typically Asian approach to passengers, for which comfort comes first. It is worth noting the presence of a small hotel in the transit area, which is a rarity for airports in third world countries. Russian tourists have not yet become frequent guests here. It is possible that they are going to expand the terminal for them.
* Prices are valid for June 2018
