Sri Lanka's main international gateway, north of Colombo at Katunayake
Bandaranaike International sits in Katunayake, around 32 km north of central Colombo, and is Sri Lanka's primary international gateway. SriLankan Airlines runs its hub here as a Oneworld member, with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, IndiGo, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific anchoring Gulf and Asian connectivity. Routes skew heavily toward Dubai, Doha, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Indian metros, plus seasonal European long-haul.
Why search this airport on Flightmussy
12-month fare heatmap shows the cheapest week to fly out of CMB
Compares IndiGo, Air Arabia and flydubai fares Google Flights de-prioritises
Multi-airport origin filter for Colombo (CMB, RML) in one search
Airlines flying from Colombo (CMB)
Major carriers: SriLankan Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines.
Low-cost carriers: IndiGo, Air Arabia, flydubai, AirAsia.
Popular destinations from Colombo (CMB)
Frequently asked questions
Which airlines fly out of Colombo Bandaranaike?
SriLankan Airlines is the home carrier, joined by Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, IndiGo, Air Arabia and flydubai. Flightmussy compares all of them in a single no-signup search and surfaces low-cost Gulf and Indian carrier fares Google Flights tends to bury under SriLankan's own pricing.
What is the cheapest month to fly from Colombo?
May, June and September consistently produce the lowest CMB fares, falling between the European peak and the Sri Lankan high season. Avoid mid-December through mid-January and the April Sinhala-Tamil New Year window. The 12-month fare heatmap on Flightmussy reveals the precise cheapest week per route.
How far is Bandaranaike Airport from central Colombo?
CMB sits in Katunayake, about 32 km north of central Colombo. The Colombo-Katunayake Expressway puts the city centre roughly 30 to 45 minutes away by taxi outside peak traffic. Airport buses (route 187-E1) run to Colombo Fort and there are direct shuttle services to Negombo just 10 km north.
Are there direct flights from Colombo to London?
SriLankan Airlines runs nonstop CMB to London Heathrow several times a week. One-stop options via Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar Airways) and Abu Dhabi (Etihad) are typically cheaper. Flightmussy's 12-month heatmap helps you spot the date-windows when direct fares dip closer to the one-stop pricing.
Other airports in Sri Lanka
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