Private jet to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a teardrop-shaped island off the southern tip of India, with beaches on three coasts, tea estates in the central hills, leopards and elephants in Yala and the old royal cities of the cultural triangle. Private flyers from Europe come mostly in the northern winter for the west and south coasts, combine the island with a week in the Maldives, or fly in for business in Colombo.

Almost every private arrival lands at Bandaranaike, 32 km north of Colombo; Mattala in the south-east has a long, quiet runway closer to Yala, and Ratmalana, inside the southern suburbs, suits smaller jets from India and the Maldives. Every passenger needs an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), and the aircraft needs a permit from the civil aviation authority. As a broker, we compare a non-stop long-range jet with a cheaper aircraft that refuels once, and arrange the permit, the parking and the handler.

Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and where you will stay on the island. A consultant replies with aircraft, airport and price.

Why the island is worth a private flight

Flight times to Colombo and Mattala

Times taken from the price tables, gate to gate; where a row has a fuel stop, about 1:30 h of it is the stop itself:

The distances are about 14 % longer than the straight line, because European operators avoid closed airspace in Eastern Europe and around Iran and fly over Turkey and the Gulf instead. Sectors of 9,000-10,000 km are at the limit even for long-range jets: the Gulfstream G650 flies every hub in the table non-stop, while the Global 6000 manages it from central Europe and Italy but needs a stop from London, Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid. Super midsize and heavy jets refuel once, usually in Dubai, Doha or Muscat. After such a sector the crew must rest before flying back, which is one more reason the aircraft often stays a night or goes home empty.

Private jet prices to Colombo and Mattala

Every price covers the whole aircraft on a one-way flight from a base close to the departure city. Permit, handling, airport charges and taxes come on top, and the time column belongs to the first aircraft of the row.

From the European hubs

With one fuel stop the Praetor 600 costs EUR 86,000 from Vienna and EUR 98,000 from London; the Challenger 650, with more cabin for a family of ten, costs EUR 110,000 and EUR 125,000. Non-stop in the Gulfstream G650 the same routes cost EUR 130,000 and EUR 155,000, so skipping the stop costs roughly half as much again. From Larnaca, the Praetor 600 with a stop costs EUR 68,000.

From Istanbul, Greece, Italy and Poland

Istanbul - Colombo costs EUR 74,000 in the Praetor 600 with a stop and EUR 110,000 non-stop in the Global 6000, 8:52 h in the air. From Warsaw the Global 6000 is non-stop at EUR 125,000.

From the Indian Ocean, India and the Gulf

Short routes to Malé and South India, and longer ones from the Gulf, Singapore and the Seychelles:

Malé - Colombo costs EUR 12,000 in a Phenom 300 and Malé - Mattala EUR 12,500. Bengaluru - Ratmalana, with the short runway close to the city, is EUR 11,500. From Dubai and Doha the light jet would need a stop, so those cells are on request; the Praetor 500 flies Dubai - Colombo in 4:36 h for EUR 29,000. Domestic flights inside Sri Lanka, to Sigiriya, Koggala or Jaffna, are flown by local operators with small aircraft, seaplanes and helicopters.

A flight of ten to fifteen hours is priced mainly by the hour, and an empty positioning sector counts the same way as one with guests on board. For a stay of a week or two, two one-way flights usually cost less than parking and crew hotels, and a trip that ends in the Maldives can save a sector. Overflight permits and the fuel-stop handling appear as separate lines. The passenger tax in Europe is set by the country you leave from: EUR 200 per head on flights to or from Italy over 1,500 km, which covers Milan and Rome here; EUR 12 in Austria; and in France a solidarity tax for business jets with distance bands, the highest of them applying to Sri Lanka. Germany and Norway have departure taxes of their own, and the Netherlands charges per passenger on aircraft of 5.7 t or more. UK Air Passenger Duty is charged at the higher private-jet rate on aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, such as the Challenger 650 and the Gulfstream G650, and other jets pay the standard rate of their distance band. Sri Lankan charges are listed in the quote.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

Three trips worked through

Price per person

Divide the charter by the number of travellers and the figure per seat looks like this, before taxes charged per head:

Calculator

The calculator handles other airports and return trips and replies by e-mail:

Its figure is based on the direct distance; the operator's offer then reflects the actual routing, the stop and how far away the free aircraft is.

Airports for business jets

A foreign aircraft lands only at the airports named in its permit, and the first landing must be at an international airport. For aircraft arriving from Europe that means Bandaranaike or Mattala.

Permit, fuel and parking

• The civil aviation authority (CAASL) grants landing permits; its published lead time is three working days, and we file at least a week ahead.
• The permit office works weekdays from 08:30 to 16:15 local time; weekend requests go through a separate channel.
• A permit is valid for a day or two around the planned date; a longer delay needs a new clearance.
• Fuel comes from a single state supplier and is released to a non-scheduled flight only once the permit is approved.
• For a long stay the choice is parking at Bandaranaike under an approved slot, moving to Mattala, or sending the aircraft home or to the Gulf.

From the airport onwards

Which jet for the island

Beach and diving luggage, golf bags and surfboards fit in the hold of a heavy or long-range jet if we know the number of pieces in advance. For a couple, the Praetor 600 with a stop is the lowest price; for a family, the extra seats of the Challenger 650 cost less per person. See ultra long range jets in the catalogue.

The year month by month

Two monsoons decide where to stay. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the west coast and the hills from about mid-May to September, while the east coast is dry; the north-east monsoon wets the north and east from December, when the west and south are at their best. December to April is the main season for the beaches around Colombo and Galle, and July and August for Trincomalee and Arugam Bay. Empty Legs are most frequent in January, when jets that brought families for Christmas and New Year fly back to Europe. Buddhist holidays follow the lunar calendar and move between years.

Empty Legs to and from the island

Direct Empty Legs to Sri Lanka are rare, because few private jets fly here, so flexible dates matter more than anywhere in Europe. Typical patterns:

An Empty Leg still needs the landing permit and an ETA for every passenger, so the passport data must be ready. Send the route you have in mind and how flexible your dates are to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Bringing a dog or cat to Sri Lanka

A pet can come to Sri Lanka on a private jet, but the import permit takes weeks and the animal is under quarantine supervision after arrival, so a short holiday with it is a big task:

• An import permit from the Department of Animal Production and Health, applied for at least two weeks before arrival.
• Microchip, rabies vaccination and a health certificate from a government vet, issued no more than ten days before arrival.
• Entry through Bandaranaike, where the animal is examined; the owner signs an agreement and the animal stays for up to 30 days at the declared address under supervision.

Entry rules, ETA and customs

Leaving Schengen means a passport check at the European departure airport too, and anyone flying on from Colombo to Britain needs the separate British ETA.

Checklist

• Passports valid six months with two blank pages, and an ETA for every passenger.
• Passenger and crew data for the landing permit, at least a week ahead.
• The hotel or region, so we choose Bandaranaike, Mattala or Ratmalana.
• Plans for the Maldives or India, so the long-range jet can collect you there.
• Pet permit and antibody test, weeks or months in advance.

How the booking works

1. Send dates, number of passengers, the part of Sri Lanka you are heading for and any second country in the trip.
2. We compare a non-stop G650 or Global 6000 with a super midsize or heavy jet that refuels once.
3. You receive offers with operator, aircraft, cabin photos, flight time and price, with parking, crew costs and onward legs listed separately.
4. After you sign and pay, the operator files the permit and the handler books slot, parking and fuel.
5. On arrival the handler meets you at the aircraft and takes you through immigration and customs to the car.

Sri Lanka by private jet: frequent questions

• • How much does a private jet to Sri Lanka cost?

  • From Larnaca a Praetor 600 with one stop costs EUR 68,000 one way for the whole aircraft. From Vienna it is EUR 86,000 and from London EUR 98,000; non-stop in a Gulfstream G650 from London EUR 155,000.

• • Can we fly from Europe without a stop?

  • Yes, in an ultra-long-range jet: London - Colombo takes 11:34 h in a Gulfstream G650. The Global 6000 is non-stop from central Europe; smaller jets refuel once in the Gulf.

• • Colombo or Mattala?

  • Bandaranaike near Colombo for the city, Negombo, the west coast and Galle. Mattala for Yala and the south-east, with easy parking but a long drive to Colombo.

• • Is there a private terminal at Colombo?

  • No separate general aviation terminal. A handler meets the aircraft, and a fast-track service takes you through immigration and customs.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • EU and UK citizens apply online for an ETA before travelling, valid for 30 days. Passports must be valid six months after arrival.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • At least a week, as the permit, slot, parking and fuel release all follow each other. Around Christmas, two weeks or more.

• • When is the best season?

  • December to April for the west and south coasts, July and August for the east coast. Yala is good in June.

• • Can we continue to the Maldives?

  • Yes. Colombo - Malé takes 1:32 h in a Phenom 300 for EUR 12,000, and the long-range jet can collect you in Malé.

• • Can our dog travel with us?

  • Yes, with an import permit applied for at least two weeks ahead, a health certificate and up to 30 days of supervision at your address. The antibody test for the return is best taken at home before departure.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Rarely direct; mostly westbound in January and via the Maldives, India or the Gulf. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • Can the aircraft wait in Sri Lanka?

  • Yes, with an approved parking slot at Bandaranaike or more easily at Mattala. For a week or more it usually flies home and returns.