Flying to Sri Lanka

General Information

Of the fifteen or so airports in Sri Lanka, only Mattala Rajapaksa Airport, which serves the southeast of the country for seasonal flights almost exclusively from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, and the capital’s airport see any significant traffic. The latter, Bandaranaike International, handles around 9 million passengers annually, primarily from the rest of the Asian continent and the Middle East.

Local Airlines

Sri Lanka has three airlines operating scheduled flights. The national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, offers a network of around thirty destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the Middle East and Europe, including flights to Paris. Additionally, there’s the low-cost FitsAir for regional routes and the small Cinnamon Air, which specializes in domestic and charter flights.

From France and Europe

Beyond seasonal routes from Eastern Europe to the island, Frankfurt and London are the only European airports, alongside Paris-Roissy, with direct flights operated by SriLankan Airlines.

Direct flights are available, but they’re generally more expensive than routes via Turkish Airlines or Gulf-based carriers, which dominate much of the traffic between Europe and Sri Lanka. Expect at least 11 hours of travel (though some connections can drag on much longer) for fares ranging from 600 to 800 €, offering a solid starting point for ticket options.

From the Rest of Asia and Beyond

Sri Lanka has no direct flights to or from Africa (except the Seychelles), the Americas, or the Pacific (except Sydney), but it does have good coverage across the Middle East and Asia as a whole.

Additional Information