Business Aircraft Operations to Sri Lanka
After a devastating 30-year civil war that ended in 2009, Sri Lanka is open to the world now. The country has immense growth potential. Rich natural resources, a high literacy rate, and a growing tourism sector all contribute to the year-after-year growth of the Sri Lankan economy.
Sri Lanka is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and the government has enacted modern investment laws that encourage and facilitate foreign direct investment into Sri Lanka.
Based on this, we are witnessing an increasing number of business aviation operations in Sri Lanka. While the government has big plans for the aviation sector in Sri Lanka, the current infrastructure and regulations make business aviation operations in Sri Lanka more difficult than what the business aviation operators and travelers require and expect. We are going to cover the ground and flight support services aspects of operating a business flight to Sri Lanka.
About Sri Lanka
Capital City: Colombo
Currency: Sri Lanka rupee
Phone Code: +94
Weekends: Saturday-Sunday
Official Languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English
As the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and once known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka is an island nation in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southeast of the Arabian sea and southwest of the Bay of Bengal. The Gulf of manar and the Palk strait divide it from the Indian subcontinent.
India and Maldives have a maritime boundary with Sri Lanka. Its major city and financial hub are Colombo, while its legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
Sri Lanka is a developing nation, ranked 72nd on the Human Development Index. It boasts the second-highest per capita GDP in South Asia and is the most developed country in the region, but the continuous economic crisis had caused the currency to collapse, inflation to soar, and a humanitarian disaster because of a severe scarcity of necessities.
Tourist Attractions
Sigiriya, Temple of the sacred tooth, Yala National Park, and National Zoo (Pinnnawala Elephant orphanage)
Major Airports of Entry:
Katunayake – Bandaranayake International Airport (CMB)
Maththala – Maththala Rajapaksha International Airport (HRI)
Katunayake – Bandaranayake International Airport (CMB)
The primary international airport servicing Sri Lanka is Colombo International Airport, sometimes referred to as Colombo-Bandaranaike and locally as Katunayake Airport.
It is named after the previous leader of the country S.W.R.D Bandaranaike (1899-1959) and is situated in a Negombo suburb 32.5 Kilometers (20 miles) north of Colombo, the country’s longtime capital and commercial hub. It is managed by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) and acts as the hub for domestic airline Cinnamon Air as well as Sri Lanka Airlines, the country’s flag carrier. Colombo international airport, Ratmalana, is the city of Colombo’s additional airport.
Airlines
- Air Arabia
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines
- Air Asia Berhad
- Air India
- Cathy Pacific
- China Eastern
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- Fly Dubai
- Gulf Air
- Indigo Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Oman Air
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
Terminals
37 airlines currently provide service to the airports with over 10.79 million annual passengers. The airport has three passenger terminals.
Terminal 1 is the current international terminal, built in 1967.
Terminal 2 is the new international terminal that is anticipated to be finished in 2023. It planned to have 8 gates with arrival and departure areas separated vertically
Terminal 3 is the new domestic terminal, which opened in November 2012. Its arrival and departure areas are separated horizontally.
Maththala – Maththala Rajapaksha International Airport
Is a global airport that serves southeast Sri Lanka. It is situated near Mattala, 18 Kilometers (11 miles) from Hambantota. After Ratmalana International airport and Bandaranaike international airport in Colombo, it is the country’s third international airport and the nation’s first greenfield airport.
Airlines
Cinnamon Air
FitsAir (commercial and Cargo)
GullivAir
SkyUp
Ukraine International Airlines
Uzbekistan Airways
Wizz Air
Terminal
1 million passengers can pass through the 10.000 m2 (110,000 Sq ft) passenger terminal per year.
There are 12 check-in desks and 2 jetway-equipped gates. The terminal also features a Café, a health center, and a lounge for business class passengers.
Ground Handling
One of the main ground and cargo handlers in the area is Sri Lankan Airlines Ground Handling. Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Colombo, Sri Lanka, currently services over 30 regular customer Airlines and ADHOC airlines. Since there is only one ground handler at CMP, you need to appoint a supervisory flight support company with agents who can coordinate and supervise the services rendered to the aircraft.
Ground handling charges can be settled in United States Dollars to Sri Lankan Airlines, while the landing fees and parking charges are paid to the Airport and Aviation Services company. Licensed and well-established flight and ground support service providers can cover the payment and ensure all the services are provided on a credit basis.
Aviation Jet Fuel
Fuel (Jet A-1) and (Avgas) are available at all International airports in Sri Lanka. Therefore, iJET has agreements with regional and large aviation fuel providers in Sri Lanka to supply you with cost-effective and High-quality aviation fuel services at all Sri Lanka international airports.
Pre-plans for supplying avgas to aircraft with piston engines
- forwarding of the request in advance.
- Time needed: 03 working days
Fuel supply in Sri Lanka is linked to the landing permit, as fuel supply cannot be done for non-scheduled flights before receiving SLCAA approval.
What Details are Necessary to Obtain a Sri Lanka Overflight Permit?
Any commercial airline or owner of a business jet that wants to fly over Sri Lankan aerospace must apply for and get prior clearance for overflight licenses.
You might need certain pre-flight details on Sri Lanka overflight and landing permits and their requirements as a flight dispatcher.
- Complete Flight schedule
- Entry/Exit points
- Lead Passenger Details (only for passenger flights)
- Consignee and Consigner details (only for cargo flights)
Is There Any Official Sri Lanka Overflight Permit Processing Fees ?
According to Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority, there are “No CAA Processing Fees” applied for the issuance of Sri Lanka Overflight permit
The Granting of Authorizations to Fly Over the Colombo Flight Information Region (Colombo FIR)
- The application should be forwarded as per the application format specified in Sri Lanka.
- Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) page GEN 1.2-5.
- Required time: 03 working days
Permit Validity
Sri Lanka overflight permit is valid for +48 hours.
Overflight Permits Category’s for Block
- Monthly block overflight permits (for scheduled and non-schedule airlines flights)
- Seasonal block overflight permits (scheduled commercial airlines flights)
Landing Permit for Non-Scheduled Flights
A landing permit is required for operations to Sri Lanka for all types of flights, whether commercial, charter, private, air ambulance medical evacuation and also for technical stop landings. The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) is the authority responsible for issuing the permits.
Operators must be certified under the same foreign air operator certification process as scheduled flights if they desire to operate six (6) or more non-scheduled flights in a season (06-month period).
Operators that desire to operate less than six (6) non-scheduled flights in a Season (six months) must apply for a permit in accordance with AIP Sri Lanka.
- The application should be forwarded as per the application format specified in Sri Lanka
- Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) page GEN 1.2-5.
- Required time: 03 working days
Issuance of landing and or overflying permission for Ambulance/ Search & Rescue/ Relief Flights
- The application should be submitted as per the requirements given in Sri Lanka Aeronautical
- Information Publication (AIP).
- Required time: At the earliest
- The preferred channels of communication for such approvals are AMHS/AFTN, fax, or e-mail.
How Can I Request Authorization to Run Regularly Scheduled (passenger/cargo) Flights to and From Sri Lanka?
To receive a Foreign Air Operator Certificate, a properly completed application and the required fees must be sent to this office in accordance with the SLCAP 4105 Foreign Air Operator Certification handbook (FAOC).
Sri Lanka General Aviation Crew Visa Requirements
General aviation crew arriving in Sri Lanka can enter on GenDec (General declaration).
Entry visas are not required from:
- Passengers arriving and leaving by the same aircraft, and not leaving the airport
- Passengers arriving and leaving by a different aircraft within 24 hours provided they are in possession of:
- Outward tickets or foreign exchange sufficient to purchase outward tickets and
- Visas for the country to which they are ultimately bound, where required.
- Crew of aircraft in transit whilst such aircraft is in Sri Lanka provided, they are in possession of valid crew license or crew member’s certificate or valid passports
Accommodation and Transportation
When flying to VCBI, Gateway Hotel and Amagi Lagoon are two good hotels that are only a five to ten minutes drive from the airport.
Colombo City has many five stars hotels, such as Kingsbury, Galadari, Hilton, Cinnamon Lake, Cinnamon Grand, Taj Samudra, Galle Face Hotel, and Mount Lavinia Hotel.
While the security situation in the country has significantly improved recently, it’s still recommended to beware when traveling there. Prearranged transportation is recommended over taking public taxis, especially when visiting the beautiful rural areas in the country.
Of course, the private limousine will not be allowed to access the airside to take the passenger from the aircraft, unless the flight is VIP.
The airports are under heavy governmental security provided by Airport and Aviation Services Limited (AASL).
Sri Lanka is an amazing country to visit for holiday. It has vast green mountains, beautiful sandy beaches, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The business opportunities in the country are wide and various, with 20 million people living in the country, more than 2 million tourists visiting a year, and a low cost of living. With the assistance of your ground support provider, your business flight to Sri Lanka will be a successful special mission you will look forward to repeating.
Here comes iJET’s effective role in facilitating the process and securing flight permits on short notice due to its extensive network of connections with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in almost every country around the world. iJET also assists aircraft operators in selecting the flight path that imposes the lowest overflight expenses.
