Private jet charter in Sri Lanka
Colombo sits almost 4,700 nautical miles from London on the map, and no business jet flies that line, so a Sri Lankan charter starts with a question about the route and not about the cabin. Private Jets UK plans the sector around the Gulf stop, the landing permit and the airport that suits your address. Our customers have access to 6,500 jets of all types and configurations available for rent. We will help you choose the best option based on your needs and objectives. Our catalog contains the models from the largest manufacturers: Gulfstream, Dassault, Embraer, Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Learjet, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pilatus, HondaJet, etc. We have established partnerships with the world's largest airlines and VIP terminals, which means we can offer you favourable flight conditions and a high level of service. Our experts will manage the organization of your flight - starting with paperwork, agreements, etc., and ending with a transfer and meeting at the airport. Our company provides a full range of business aviation and concierge services. For Sri Lanka that means a landing permit from the island's civil aviation authority, a slot and a parking approval at the airport, and a choice between three airfields that behave very differently, because those three things decide the aircraft, the date and the price long before anyone talks about the cabin.
At your request, the aviation consultants of Private Jets UK will help you choose the jet with the suitable technical parameters (production year, flight hours, and home base). The cost of the private jet charter to Sri Lanka depends on many factors, such as the model of the business jet, the number of passengers, departure and destination airports, type of flight, duration of parking, additional services, etc. Therefore, we calculate the price of each order individually taking into account your wishes. You can use an online calculator to get an instant charter quote. Please indicate your real contact details to get the final calculation.
You can calculate the cost of your flight in several ways:
- using an online calculator on the website (however, it shows only the approximate price);
- via Messenger (WhatsApp or Telegram);
- by landline or cell phone;
- via e-mail (jets@private-jets.co.uk).
Please note that the above-mentioned price is indicative only. It is calculated on this basis: a departure from London Biggin Hill, an Embraer Praetor 600 to Colombo with one technical stop in Dubai and two passengers aboard. If you want to get a personal quote, just fill out the online booking form below. Our aviation consultant will make the calculation within 20 minutes, and then contact you to specify the details of the flight.
How long does it take to fly to Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka keeps one time zone, five and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and four and a half hours ahead of British Summer Time, with no seasonal change of the clocks. A morning departure from a London airfield lands late at night by the local clock, or in the small hours of the next day. These are the sectors from London Biggin Hill on the lowest-priced aircraft that can fly them, gate to gate, including about an hour on the ground for the technical stop:
4,913 nautical miles planned, the international gateway at Katunayake, about 32 km north of the city, and the field every long-range schedule is built aroundabout 12 h 15 min
4,928 nautical miles planned, the city's smaller airfield on the south side, open to corporate jets but with a much shorter runwayabout 12 h 20 min
5,008 nautical miles planned, the long-runway airport of the south-east, the nearest to Yala and the southern coastabout 12 h 30 min
Why we do not plan the straight line
On the map Colombo is about 4,700 nautical miles from London. No operator files that line. The track keeps clear of the airspace that insurers and regulators advise against, which for Sri Lanka means a route to the south, over south-eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, with the Gulf as the logical place to land. Measured that way the Colombo sector is 4,913 nautical miles as planned.
We quote the planned distance and never the map distance, so the figure in a quote is the price of the flight that will actually be flown. Each state on the way has its own overflight rules, and nothing is promised before the operator has agreed the corridor. Because Gulf airspace can change at short notice, we file an alternative stop, normally Doha or Muscat, beside the first choice.
Range then sets the stop. The Embraer Praetor 600 is rated at 4,018 nautical miles and we plan every leg at about 85 percent of a published range, so Dubai, 3,067 nautical miles from Biggin Hill, is the point where it lands, with 1,846 left to Colombo. A Gulfstream G650ER, a Global 7500 or a Global 6000 covers the whole 4,913 miles without landing, in about 10 h 10 min in the G650ER, though a full cabin or a headwind can still put a stop into the plan on the day.
The exact flight time depends on the model of the business jet, as well as the speed of the tail or head wind. On a sector of ten hours or more the jet stream moves the figure by the better part of an hour. Our consultant will make a detailed calculation of the flight time for the chosen business jet.
Prices for the private jet flights to Sri Lanka
Typical one-way prices from Britain, cheapest first. Colombo leads the table because an Embraer Praetor 600 can reach it with a single stop in Dubai, and the larger cabins further down are the ones that fly the whole way without landing. Every figure includes the technical stop shown in the row:
| Route | Aircraft | Price, one way |
|---|---|---|
| London Biggin Hill - Colombo 4,913 nm / 9,099 km, via Dubai |
Praetor 600 up to 9 |
from £76,600 |
| London Biggin Hill - Ratmalana 4,928 nm / 9,127 km, via Dubai |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £122,050 |
| London Luton - Colombo 4,935 nm / 9,140 km, via Dubai |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £122,200 |
| London Farnborough - Colombo 4,944 nm / 9,156 km, via Dubai |
Gulfstream G450 up to 13 |
from £128,750 |
| London Luton - Mattala 5,030 nm / 9,316 km, via Dubai |
Gulfstream G450 up to 13 |
from £130,900 |
| London Stansted - Colombo 4,912 nm / 9,097 km, nonstop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £132,800 |
| Birmingham - Colombo 4,993 nm / 9,247 km, nonstop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £134,900 |
| London Biggin Hill - Mattala 5,008 nm / 9,275 km, nonstop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £135,300 |
| Manchester - Colombo 5,022 nm / 9,301 km, nonstop |
Gulfstream G550 up to 16 |
from £142,050 |
| London Farnborough - Mattala 5,039 nm / 9,332 km, nonstop |
Gulfstream G550 up to 16 |
from £142,500 |
| Glasgow - Colombo 5,126 nm / 9,493 km, nonstop |
Gulfstream G550 up to 16 |
from £144,850 |
| Edinburgh - Colombo 5,091 nm / 9,429 km, nonstop |
Gulfstream G650ER up to 14 |
from £162,200 |
| London Biggin Hill - Colombo 4,913 nm / 9,099 km, nonstop |
Global 7500 up to 14 |
from £168,900 |
What sits outside the figures
– The airport moves the price by far less than the aircraft does. From London Biggin Hill a Praetor 600 reaches Colombo Bandaranaike for about £76,600, Ratmalana on the same aircraft for about £76,850 and Mattala for about £78,050. Colombo anchors this page because it is where business jets most often land and clear customs, and Ratmalana is shown with a Falcon 900LX in the table because its runway is short;
– Landing and handling charges at the technical stop, the Sri Lankan permits and the handler's fee for them, and the airport charges on the island are quoted on top. The figures are one-way, and on a sector this long a one-way price includes the empty flight home, since an aircraft that delivers a party to Sri Lanka seldom has a passenger waiting there to bring back.
Private jet flights within Sri Lanka and to its neighbours
Sri Lanka is small. Colombo to Sigiriya is 71 nautical miles, Colombo to Jaffna 163, and Colombo to Malé in the Maldives 437. These are the hops we are asked for, with Chennai, Malé and Dubai as the neighbours that clients most often add. Several of the island's airfields are short or lightly equipped, so the figures show the scale and not a firm price:
| Route | Aircraft | Flight time | Price, one way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo - Koggala 79 nm / 146 km |
Citation CJ3+ up to 7 |
about 40 min | from £5,300 |
| Colombo - Sigiriya 71 nm / 131 km |
Citation CJ3+ up to 7 |
about 40 min | from £5,300 |
| Colombo - Batticaloa 116 nm / 215 km |
Citation CJ3+ up to 7 |
about 45 min | from £5,300 |
| Colombo - Mattala 95 nm / 176 km |
Citation CJ3+ up to 7 |
about 45 min | from £5,300 |
| Colombo - Trincomalee 117 nm / 217 km |
Citation CJ3+ up to 7 |
about 45 min | from £5,300 |
| Colombo - Jaffna 163 nm / 302 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 55 min | from £6,800 |
| Colombo - Chennai 363 nm / 672 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 1 h 20 min | from £7,400 |
| Colombo - Malé 437 nm / 809 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 1 h 30 min | from £8,450 |
| Mattala - Malé 490 nm / 907 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 1 h 40 min | from £9,250 |
| Colombo - Dubai 1,846 nm / 3,419 km |
Gulfstream G450 up to 13 |
about 4 h 30 min | from £50,600 |
Before you plan a loop of the island
– Most of the island's internal flying is done by local operators. Cinnamon Air runs scheduled and charter flights with a Cessna Grand Caravan and amphibious Caravans, and the air force's civil arm, Helitours, flies from Ratmalana to Jaffna, Trincomalee and Sigiriya. For a hop of under 100 nautical miles they are often the better tool than a jet, and we book them alongside the long-range aircraft;
– Whether your own aircraft may fly the internal legs is a question we put to the authority in writing, and the answer decides whether the jet waits at Colombo or goes home and returns. Every landing has its own permit, so the whole itinerary is drawn up at the start and not added to as it goes.
We can arrange the flights from any cities in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and European countries. Due to a large database of available business jets, we can help you find an optimal jet and crew. If you have any questions about the departure or the flight itself, you can ask them using the form below:
Prices depending on the type of business jet
We can clearly show the high dependence of the cost of the flight, on the type of aircraft - we have collected approximate data, at the price of 1 flight hour, for various types of business jets:
The cost per hour indicated in the table is preliminary and does not constitute an offer or a commercial offer. Exact prices are available from the managers of the company.
Online Calculator
If you want to make an urgent calculation of the cost of a private plane flight, use our online calculator. Just fill in all the fields of the form with a note that you are interested in a specific model of the aircraft and get the final price. NB! - the figures are sent to you by email or messenger, please carefully fill in the contact details to get the calculation.
All our calculations are as transparent as possible for you. After receiving the request, we will prepare a beautiful offer - where the costs and the final price will be clearly described. The exact price is agreed in advance and is written in the contract, so you can be sure of the final cost.
Private jets are ready to take off
Our database contains over 6,500 business jets (about 3,500 in Europe and 3,000 in the rest of the world) of different configurations and production years. The list of models is constantly updated. Unfortunately, we can't post a full list of available jets on our website due to confidentiality issues. Please contact the managers of the company for more accurate information. We will help you choose a suitable model taking into account your wishes. These are the typical choices for Sri Lanka:
Long range and ultra-long range
The cabins that fly from Britain to Colombo without landing. A sector of about eleven hours is long enough that a flat bed is the reason to choose them.
Large cabins
The right size for a party of up to a dozen with luggage, normally planned with a stop in the Gulf. The Praetor 600 is the lowest-priced aircraft we plan to Colombo, and the Falcon 900LX is a sensible choice for the short runway at Ratmalana.
Super-midsize
Not for the journey from Britain, but the right size for a hop to Malé or Chennai once you are in the region.
Light jets
The aircraft for the shortest hops from Colombo, though the runways of the smaller airfields and the local operators who fly them usually decide the matter.
Turboprops
Rarely the answer on the long sector, but a Pilatus PC-12 or a King Air is the kind of aircraft that can use the island's shorter strips.
For a sector this long we look for an aircraft positioned in the Gulf or in South Asia as well as in Britain, so the dates should reach us while they can still move.
How to book a private jet?
You can book a private jet flight to Sri Lanka in 6 easy steps:
- Flight request - indicating the route and your preferences for the model of business jet and other points.
- Coordination of flight details - our consultant will contact you to offer the possible flight options and answer all your questions.
- Commercial offer - we will send you a final offer on a specific model taking into account all your wishes.
- Signing of the contract.
- Payment for the flight and booking a business jet.
- Departure at the agreed time and date. Assistance during the whole flight.
In addition to renting the private jets and arranging the flights, we provide concierge services, premium transfer, security, exclusive catering, etc. We have learned to solve problems of any complexity, offering the service of the European level. Our experts will be happy to answer your questions and help you arrange your flight.
How to rent a business jet with a crew
5 main stages:
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Sending an application
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Clarification of details and search for options
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Preparation and coordination of optimal options
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Registration of documents. Payment of the invoice.
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Departure on the route.
Business aviation airports in Sri Lanka
A foreign aircraft lands only where its permit says it may, and on this island the choice of field changes the aircraft as well as the drive. The first three rows of the table are the airports we plan business jet arrivals to; the later rows matter for the last stretch and for smaller aircraft:
| Airport | Ground | How it operates |
|---|---|---|
| Colombo Bandaranaike CMB / VCBI |
at Katunayake, about 32 km north of Colombo, a few minutes from Negombo and linked to the capital by expressway | The island's main international airport, with a single runway, 04/22, 3,350 metres long. The airport, tower, customs and immigration are listed as working round the clock. It is slot-coordinated, and a landing permit and a parking slot are both needed before an aircraft can operate. There is no dedicated general aviation terminal in the older handling guides: the VIP terminal is kept for official delegations and needs prior approval for business aviation, and a paid meet-and-assist service offers fast-track customs and immigration. VVIP Flight and IFOS Aviation Services are listed as handlers, and the older handling guides name SriLankan Airlines as the sole ground handler for general aviation, so who services your aircraft is confirmed in writing |
| Colombo Ratmalana RML / VCCC |
about 15 km south of the city centre | A shared airfield: it belongs to the state airport company, and the air force's civil arm, Helitours, is based here. The runway is about 1,800 metres, so it suits a midsize or large cabin on a sector of moderate length and not a heavy long-range jet at full fuel. International corporate jets are handled at Terminal 1, and customs and animal and plant quarantine have been reported on site. Older guides list it as a daytime field only, so a late departure is planned from Bandaranaike instead. When the main runway at Bandaranaike was closed for work, this field took about a hundred corporate jets in three months |
| Hambantota Mattala Rajapaksa HRI / VCRI |
in the south-east, about 15 to 18 km north of Hambantota and about 259 km from Colombo by the Southern Expressway | A runway of 3,500 metres, an elevation of 48 metres and almost no traffic. It is listed as a 24-hour airport with fuel available round the clock, and parking is generally easy. Birds and wild animals are a known hazard on the field, which stands in elephant country, and there is a single taxiway. It is the nearest airport to Yala National Park, and Cinnamon Air links it with Colombo, Koggala, Sigiriya and Batticaloa. There is no general aviation terminal, so handling and transport are arranged in advance |
| Jaffna International JAF / VCCJ |
at Palaly, about 13 km north of Jaffna | A runway of 1,400 metres and a regional status: the aviation authority permitted it as a regional airport, so long-haul flights are not allowed. It takes scheduled flights from Chennai and charters from Colombo. We treat it as an airport for small jets and turboprops arriving from Colombo or India, not as a gateway from Britain |
| Sigiriya GIU / VCCS |
in the centre of the island, near the rock fortress | A small airfield served by Cinnamon Air and Helitours from Colombo, a hop of about 70 nautical miles. We have not found published runway or customs data that supports business jet arrivals, so it is a destination for light aircraft and turboprops cleared case by case |
| Koggala, Trincomalee and Batticaloa KCT / VCCK, TRR / VCCT, BTC / VCCB |
the south coast near Galle, the north-east coast and the east coast near Pasikuda | Regional airfields on the Cinnamon Air network, which also lists water aerodromes for its amphibious aircraft. They are domestic fields, and a foreign business jet is not planned to any of them without the authority's written approval. Most clients reach these coasts by a short flight from Colombo or on the ground |
Four rules govern the planning of every arrival:
A permit for every landing
The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka grants landing and overflight permission. Its published lead time is three working days, and older guides quote seven days for a private landing and three for a technical stop, so we file at least a week ahead. An airport that is not in the permit is not an airport you can land at.
Slot and parking before the date
Bandaranaike is slot-coordinated, and the slot and the parking approval are separate requests once the permit exists. A permit is valid for a day or two around the planned date, and a delay beyond that needs a new clearance.
The authority keeps office hours
Permits are handled from 03:00 to 10:45 UTC on weekdays, which is 08:30 to 16:15 in Sri Lanka, and a request that goes in on a Friday evening is a Monday request. A separate address handles weekends, public holidays and out-of-hours requests.
Fuel follows the permit
Fuel is listed as coming from a single state supplier, and a fuel release is not issued to a non-scheduled flight until the permit is approved. Older guides say payment is by fuel card or release through a handler, and not by credit card at the pump.
Parking for a longer stay
If the party stays on the island for more than a night or two, the choice is between parking at Bandaranaike under an approved slot, moving to Mattala where space is easy but the road to Colombo is long, and a drop-and-go plan in which the aircraft flies home or to the Gulf and returns for the passengers. The cost of each plan is agreed before the figure is, and the parking approval is part of the permit paperwork.
Arriving from Britain: the ETA, permits and the passenger list
Three things are checked on the way in: the traveller, the aircraft and the list that ties them together. None of it is difficult, but none of it can be done at the last minute.
The UK government's travel advice says British visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorization, which it describes as a form of visa, applied for online before travelling and valid for 30 days. A longer stay is extended through the Sri Lankan immigration portal. Overstaying can lead to detention, a fine and a travel banbefore departure
Valid for at least six months after the day of arrivalevery passenger
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is needed if you arrive from a country with a risk of transmissionif asked
Sri Lanka has strict rules on goods taken in and out, and anything that may be prohibited or subject to duty must be declaredat customs
Transferring money needs an exchange control permit from the Central Bank, so any large payment is arranged before arrivalbefore travel
What stands behind the permit
The landing permit. The application names the operator and the aircraft, the schedule, the entry and exit points of the flight information region, the purpose of the flight and the crew and passengers. A private aircraft needs no air operator certificate, but the authority asks for the certificates of airworthiness, registration, insurance and noise, the radio licence, a passenger list, a local contact for the party, the crew hotel and the parking approval.
The details must match. A change to the date, the times, the routing, the aircraft type or the registration can mean an amendment or a new application, so the passenger and crew lists are checked against the permit on the day.
The crew. Flight crew can normally clear immigration on the general declaration, with a visa on arrival that the older guides give as valid for up to 30 days. We arrange it with the handler before the flight.
Coming home is a flight into Britain: a General Aviation Report goes to the border authorities not earlier than 48 hours and not later than two hours before departure, and British and Irish citizens need no electronic travel authorisation for Britain. The first landing must be at an aerodrome that is regulated for customs, since a landing at an unregulated one carries a fine of £2,500.
Which airport for which part of Sri Lanka
Start from where you will be sleeping and work back to the runway. These are the pairings we use most:
Bandaranaike is the gateway and about 32 km from the city by expressway. Ratmalana is closer to the south side of town but is a short-runway, daytime fieldColombo Bandaranaike
the coast road and the Southern Expressway, or a short flight from Colombo to the small airfield at KoggalaColombo, then road or Koggala
Mattala has the long runway and the shortest drive to the park, and a Cinnamon Air link to ColomboMattala
the hills have no airport we plan business jets to, so the party lands in Colombo and goes on by road, or by helicopter where the operator has approvalColombo, then road
Sigiriya has an airfield for light aircraft and a scheduled link with Colombo, about 70 nautical miles awayColombo, then Sigiriya or road
Jaffna has a runway of 1,400 metres and a regional status, so a jet from Britain lands in Colombo and the last stretch is a short flight or a long driveColombo, then Jaffna
Trincomalee and Batticaloa are domestic airfields reached from Colombo on the Cinnamon Air networkColombo, then a short flight
Malé is about 437 nautical miles from Colombo, an easy hop for a super-midsize jet, and a common addition to a Sri Lankan tripColombo to Malé
Colombo, Kandy, Galle and the coast: what our clients go for
Colombo is the commercial centre and where most business travellers land: a coastal city where daytime highs usually sit between 30 and 32 degrees and humidity stays above 70 percent all year.
Kandy and the hill country attract a different kind of party. Kandy is cooler, with typical daytime highs of 27 to 30 degrees, and Nuwara Eliya, in the tea country, has an average temperature near 16 degrees at its coolest. Getting there from the coast takes time, and for a short stay we price the helicopter transfer beside the road.
Galle and the south coast draw visitors for the beaches and for whale watching off Mirissa, which operators put at its best in January. Yala, in the south-east, is the safari most clients ask for, with June named as a strong month for leopards when water levels fall.
Sigiriya, the rock fortress in the centre of the island, and Jaffna in the north need different logistics again, and for both we plan the jet to Colombo and the last stretch separately.
Sri Lankan seasons: two monsoons and the weeks between them
The island has two monsoons, and which coast is wet depends on the month. The two never hit the same coast at once, so the month sets the road plan and sometimes the airport:
The south-west monsoon. Heavy rain falls on the Central Highlands and the south-west, while the east and the north-east stay drywet in the south-west
The inter-monsoon weeks, with squalls and, occasionally, tropical cyclones that bring cloud and rain to the south-west, the north-east and the eastunsettled
The north-east monsoon. The north-eastern slopes can receive up to 1,250 mm of rain in these months, and January is the coolest month of the yearwet in the north-east
Light, variable winds and thundershowers in the evening. May is the hottest monthhot, with storms
Weather and wildlife on the approach
The UK government's advice notes that heavy rain during the inter-monsoon season has raised the risk of flooding and landslides across the island, so a road leg into the hills is planned with a margin in October and November. Mattala sits in elephant and bird country, and the airport's record is one of bird strikes, so we ask the operator about the approach and the time of day before we plan an arrival there.
The Sri Lankan calendar: processions, a literary festival and the holy days
A handful of dates reshape a trip, each in a different part of the island:
Festival weeks and the schedule
The big processions draw crowds, and the Kandy Perahera grows larger each night, so a party for that week is brought in early and the transfer from Colombo is planned with extra time. The dates of the lunar festivals move from one year to the next, so we check the calendar for your week before the schedule is final.
Flying to Sri Lanka with a dog or a cat
A dog or cat can fly to Sri Lanka in the cabin of a private jet, but the import permit has to be in hand weeks ahead, and the return needs a blood test months ahead.
What Sri Lanka asks for on the way in
An import permit from the Department of Animal Production and Health is needed for a dog or cat whatever the aircraft, applied for at least two weeks before arrival in the guides we have seen, and valid for 90 days once issued. The animal needs a 15-digit ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given not less than 30 days and not more than ten months before entry, and a veterinary certificate completed within ten days of arrival and endorsed by the government veterinary service of the country of departure. The guides also ask for a heartworm blood test within 30 days of entry, treatment for internal and external parasites in the ten days before, and a stay of six months in the country of departure before export. Sedation is not allowed.
The animal arrives at Bandaranaike, where the veterinary officials are told at least two days ahead. On arrival it is inspected, and the importer signs a Quarantine Surveillance Agreement with the Animal Quarantine Office at Katunayake, after which the animal is kept in quarantine at the owner's address for up to 30 days. The rules are confirmed in writing for your dates before the animal is booked.
Britain's rules for the return are the longer pole. Sri Lanka is not on either of the lists of countries from which Britain accepts a pet on simpler terms. For a dog or a cat coming from an unlisted country Britain requires a Great Britain pet health certificate issued in the last ten days and a rabies blood test:
- A rabies vaccination first, then a blood sample taken at least 30 days after it, sent by the vet to an approved laboratory, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or higher;
- A wait of three months from the date of the sample before the animal may travel to Britain, and the sample stays valid for as long as the rabies vaccinations are kept up to date;
- A Great Britain pet health certificate for the journey;
- For a dog, a tapeworm treatment from a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival in Britain;
- Quarantine for up to four months if the rules are not met.
The sample remains valid while the vaccinations are kept up to date, so it is best taken at home, months before departure, which lets the three months run before the flight back. A sample taken in Colombo means waiting out the three months there. For a private flight we confirm the entry point and the paperwork for the animal in writing before the flight.
Other destinations, and the general rules for travelling with an animal on a private jet, are set out on our flying with pets guide.
Empty Legs
An empty leg is a flight the operator has to make anyway, with the cabin vacant, and so it is priced low rather than flown for nothing. On a sector this long the saving is real in pounds, and the conditions are just as real.
Why empty legs to Sri Lanka are scarce
– Every aircraft that delivers a party to the island has to leave again, and a long stay on an apron means a parking approval and a bill, so operators usually fly it home or to the Gulf. The westbound legs are the useful ones;
– The aircraft is seldom in the right place: a leg from Colombo to Manchester suits a client in Colombo and not one in Kandy, so a match needs the right city as well as the right week;
– A permit goes with the date and is valid for only a day or two around it, so a leg that moves by a few days can cost the operator a fresh application.
A client who can move by a week or two has the best chance of a match. Whatever is free is listed on our empty legs page. A selection of Sri Lankan empty legs follows, at roughly 40 percent of a fresh charter:
| Route | Aircraft | Capacity | Whole aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (London Biggin Hill) - Sri Lanka (Colombo) | Praetor 600 | 9 seats | £32,150 |
| Sri Lanka (Colombo) - UK (London Luton) | Falcon 900LX | 12 seats | £51,300 |
| UK (London Farnborough) - Sri Lanka (Colombo) | Gulfstream G450 | 13 seats | £54,100 |
| UK (Birmingham) - Sri Lanka (Colombo) | Global 6000 | 13 seats | £56,650 |
| Sri Lanka (Mattala) - UK (London Biggin Hill) | Global 6000 | 13 seats | £56,850 |
| Sri Lanka (Colombo) - UK (Manchester) | Gulfstream G550 | 16 seats | £59,650 |
| UK (Edinburgh) - Sri Lanka (Colombo) | Gulfstream G650ER | 14 seats | £68,100 |
| Sri Lanka (Colombo) - UK (London Stansted) | Global 7500 | 14 seats | £70,950 |
Reading the empty-leg prices
– The price covers the whole aircraft, not a seat. A Gulfstream G550 from Colombo to Manchester with eight aboard comes to about £7,450 a head;
– The cost to you is flexibility: the date, often the hour, sometimes the airport. The saving looks large only because the fresh charter it is measured against is large.
Helicopter charter
In Sri Lanka the helicopter is a tool for the last stretch, for the hills and the coast where the road is slow. The documented operators are few, and the rest is booked on request through approved operators:
the civil arm of the Sri Lanka Air Force flies passengers and charters from Ratmalana, and its domestic routes include Jaffna, Trincomalee and Sigiriyaoperator flights
seaplane and amphibious Caravan charters from Bandaranaike, Ratmalana and a city water aerodrome to the airports and water aerodromes of the islandon request
a seaplane base is listed about four nautical miles from the main airport, so a party can step from a jet to an amphibious aircraftby arrangement
hotels, estates and private sites with no runway are reached by helicopter or a long drive; the landing site and the permission are agreed in advanceon request
A helicopter or a seaplane suits the first stretch out of Colombo and not a long hop, where a fixed-wing aircraft with a permit does the job better. During the south-west monsoon, from mid-May to October, flying on the west and in the hills is planned with a road alternative into the same day, and a landing at a hotel or private site needs the site agreed in advance.
Flights from the UK to Sri Lanka
London sends most of the traffic on this route, with Manchester, Birmingham and the Scottish airfields behind it; the price table higher up covers thirteen pairings across Colombo, Ratmalana and Mattala. Our clients have access to all airports of the UK and Europe. Due to the unique partnership conditions, we can offer our clients the best prices for business aviation services. Our experts will consult you on the availability of private jets in a particular city and help you choose the best option.
List of TOP 25 business aviation airports:
| Airport | Country | ICAO | IATA |
|---|---|---|---|
 London Heathrow Airport |
England | EGLL | LHR |
| Birmingham Airport |
England | EGBB | BHX |
| London Gatwick |
England | EGKK | LGW |
| London City Airport |
England | EGLC | LCY |
| London Luton |
England | EGGW | LTN |
| Edinburgh Airport |
Scotland | EGPH | EDI |
| Leeds Airport |
England | EGNM | LBA |
| Manchester Airport |
England | EGCC | MAN |
| London Stansted |
England | EGSS | STN |
| Liverpool John Lennon Airport |
England | EGGP | LPL |
| Newcastle Airport |
England | EGNT | NCL |
| Bristol Airport |
England | EGGD | BRS |
| Glasgow Airport |
Scotland | EGPF | GLA |
| East Midlands Airport |
England | EGNX | EMA |
| Southampton Airport |
England | EGHI | SOU |
| Jersey Airport |
Channel Islands | EGJJ | JER |
| Cardiff International Airport |
Wales | EGFF | CWL |
| Inverness Airport |
Scotland | EGPE | INV |
| Bournemouth Airport |
England | EGHH | BOH |
| London Farnborough Airport |
England | EGLF | FAB |
| Oxford Airport |
England | EGTK | OXF |
| London Biggin Hill |
England | EGKB | BQH |
| Belfast Airport |
Northern Ireland | EGAA | BFS |
| Gibraltar Airport |
Gibraltar | LXGB | GIB |
| Aberdeen Airport |
Scotland | EGPD | ABZ |
Sri Lankan charters from the booking notes: six typical trips
The six trips below are typical jobs assembled from booking notes with the details changed, so none of them is one named client or one date.
COLOMBO · THE LOWEST-PRICED WAY IN
Two directors with a week of meetings
London Biggin Hill - Colombo, Praetor 600 via Dubai, about 12 h 15 min · 4 pax
The brief had assumed a Global-class aircraft. A Praetor 600 with one stop in Dubai did the job for well under the price of a nonstop charter, and the permit was filed a full week before departure.
COLOMBO AND MALÉ · TWO ISLANDS, ONE TRIP
A family combining a stay on the coast with the Maldives
London Biggin Hill - Colombo, Global 6000 nonstop, about 10 h 25 min · 6 pax
The family spent four nights near Galle, then took a short hop of about 440 nautical miles to Malé. The long-range jet stayed on the ramp at Bandaranaike under an approved parking slot, and the Maldives sector was priced as a separate leg.
COLOMBO · NO AIRPORT IN THE HILLS
A party of eight bound for the tea country
Manchester - Colombo, Gulfstream G550 nonstop, about 10 h 35 min · 8 pax
The hills had no airport suited to a business jet, so the G550 landed at Bandaranaike and a coach and two cars took the party up to the hill country. The aircraft went home and was brought back for the return.
YALA · THE LONG RUNWAY IN THE SOUTH
A group on a safari week
London Biggin Hill - Hambantota Mattala, Global 6000 nonstop, about 10 h 35 min · 7 pax
Landing at Mattala saved the long drive down from Colombo, and parking there was easy. The cost was a permit that named the airport and a conversation with the operator about birds on the approach.
PETS · TWO DOGS TO COLOMBO
A relocation with two dogs
London Farnborough - Colombo, Gulfstream G450 via Dubai, about 12 h 05 min · 2 pax and two dogs
The import permit was applied for more than two weeks ahead, the veterinary certificate was completed in the ten days before departure, and the veterinary officials at Bandaranaike were told in advance. The rabies blood samples for the way home were taken in Surrey months earlier.
EMPTY LEG · HOMEWARD FROM COLOMBO
A flexible return after a long stay
Colombo - London Luton, Falcon 900LX empty leg via Dubai, about 12 h 20 min · 5 pax
The client gave a window of several days instead of a fixed date and flew when the aircraft was ready. The fare was about £51,300, roughly 40 percent of a fresh one-way charter on the same sector.
Frequently asked questions about flying to Sri Lanka
1Can a private jet fly from London to Colombo nonstop?
Yes, in a long-range or ultra-long-range cabin. A Gulfstream G650ER, a Bombardier Global 7500 or a Bombardier Global 6000 can fly the planned 4,913 nautical miles without landing, and smaller aircraft land once, usually in Dubai. The planned distance is longer than the straight line on the map because the track runs to the south. A full cabin or a headwind can still put a stop into the plan on the day.
2How long does a private jet take from the UK to Sri Lanka?
About 10 hours 10 minutes to Colombo nonstop in a G650ER, and about 12 hours 15 minutes in a Praetor 600 with a stop in Dubai, including the stop. Sri Lanka has one time zone, five and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and four and a half ahead of British Summer Time, so a morning departure lands late at night.
3How much does a private jet to Sri Lanka cost?
From about £76,600 one way from London Biggin Hill to Colombo on a Praetor 600 with a stop in Dubai. Aircraft that fly nonstop cost more, from about £132,800 in a Global 6000. Handling at the stop, the handler's permit fee and the airport charges in Sri Lanka are quoted on top, and an empty leg in the right direction costs roughly 40 percent of a fresh charter.
4Which airport should a private jet use in Sri Lanka?
Colombo Bandaranaike, at Katunayake, is the main choice: a runway of 3,350 metres, customs and immigration listed as round the clock, and a slot and parking approval needed in advance. Ratmalana is closer to the city but has a shorter runway of about 1,800 metres and is listed as a daytime field. Mattala, in the south-east, has a 3,500 metre runway and is the nearest to Yala. Smaller airfields are for small aircraft and local operators.
5What permits and visas does a private flight to Sri Lanka need?
The aircraft needs a landing permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, with a published lead time of three working days that we treat as a minimum of a week, and a slot and a parking approval at Bandaranaike. British passport holders need an Electronic Travel Authorization, which the UK government describes as a form of visa, with a passport valid for six months after arrival. The names on the permit must match the people aboard on the day.
6Can my dog or cat travel with me to Sri Lanka on a private jet?
Yes, with planning. Sri Lanka requires an import permit from its animal health department, applied for at least two weeks ahead, an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination, a veterinary certificate issued in the ten days before travel and up to 30 days of quarantine at the owner's address. Coming home, Britain treats Sri Lanka as an unlisted country, which means a rabies blood test, a three-month wait from the sample date and a Great Britain pet health certificate, so the blood sample is best taken at home well before the trip.