Sri Lanka Aviation

Three SriLankan Airlines flights returning from Mumbai, Riyadh, and Guangzhou were safely diverted to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) this morning due to low visibility caused by mist over Katunayake area..

Two international flights divert to Thiruvananthapuram airport due to bad weather in Sri Lanka. The diverted flights included a Turkish Airlines flight originating in Istanbul and a SriLankan Airlines flight from Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The Turkish Airlines flight was carrying 258 passengers and 10 crew members, while SriLankan Airlines aircraft had 188 passengers, including eight crew members

In related news, an aircraft carrying 44 passengers and headed for Jaffna on Saturday was rerouted to Tiruchirappalli due to poor weather in the northern Sri Lankan city, according to PTI. Since the weather failed to improve and the delay stretched to more than three hours, the airline eventually cancelled the service, according to the sources quoted by PTI. The flight, operated by a private carrier, took off at 10:20 AM, and shortly after departure, the pilot was alerted to the “adverse weather conditions in Jaffna,” they mentioned. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tiruchirappalli. “Right now the plane has landed safely in Tiruchirappalli with all the passengers. The flight will resume its journey once the weather is clear in Jaffna.”

19 November 2025

This is why Mattala was built.
It was built during the war because Katunayake had been bombed and one of the SLA planes was disabled on the tarmac.
We simply couldn't afford to have no international airport.
Our airport at Ratmalana was bringing in the war dead and the injured, and I will never forget the choppers, and then the ambulances. It was not able to cope with international flights.
Have people forgotten when they curse the Rajapaksas and the Southern development?
It was the most viable place to build another international port and an airport.
I hope our citizens can now see the foresight of our leaders during the so-called 77 years of corruption.

The fact that Sri Lanka needed a second international airport is indisputable. However, whether it should have been located in Mattala is debatable. The fact that after 12 years of operations, it cannot sustain a single year-round flight to even a single international destination suggests that this was not the most viable place to build a second international airport. Jaffna, even with its constrained runway, supports multiple flights to India. The fact that only a portion of Wednesday's diverted flights went to Mattala is telling, with others diverting to TRV. A proper international airport, if it had been located in Jaffna, could have accommodated all these diversions. In my opinion, money could have been better spent on upgrading Jaffna to international standards and building a second runway at CMB, rather than on Mattala, which continues to be a drain on the Sri Lankan taxpayer - for the last 12 years, and the foreseeable future.

Is 4r-alr getting repainted?

Colombo Airport Schedule Flight Information - December 2025

• Fitsair is increasing CMB- DAC flights to 7 weekly after operated 5 weekly in Nov 2025;
• Maldivian Airlines is planning to operate MLE- CMB flights on the 7-Dec-2025 and 9 Dec 2025. Can't see Maldivian's CMB flights on the other dates in Dec 2025.
• Chongqing Airlines on the route CKG- CMB- MLE remain cancelled in Dec 2025;
• Fitsair is increasing CMB- KUL flights to 4 weekly after operated 3 weekly in Nov 2025;
• Air China is increasing TFU- CMB flights from 6 weekly to 7 weekly in Dec 2025;
• Thai AirAsia is increasing DMK- CMB flights from 7 weekly to 10 weekly from 3 Dec 2025;
• FlyDubai is increasing DXB- CMB flights from 21 weekly to 26 weekly from Dec 2025. Additionally FZ also operating 7 weekly DXB- MLE- CMB flights;
• Gulf Air is increasing BAH- MLE- CMB flights from 7 weekly to 8 weekly from Dec 2025;
• Air Seychelles is increasing SEZ- CMB flights from 1 weekly to 2 weekly in Dec 2025. Additional 1 weekly flight operating on the 07 Dec 2025;
• Jazeera Airways is continuing to operate 11 weekly on KWI- CMB route in Dec 2025;
• Arkia is resuming TLV- CMB flights in Dec 2025 after cancelling the flights to CMB in Nov 2025. Frequency 1 weekly onboard A332;
• China Eastern is increasing KMG- CMB flights from 5 weekly to 7 weekly in Dec 2025;
• Salam Air is increasing MCT- CMB flights from 4 weekly to 6 weekly in Dec 2025. Daily flights are planned for 2026.
• SriLankan is increasing CMB- BKK flights from 14 weekly to 18 weekly effective 15 Dec 2025;
• SriLankan is resuming CMB- CDG nonstop flights with 3 weekly from 05 Dec 2025;
• SriLankan is resuming CMB- FRA nonstop flights with 3 weekly from 05 Dec 2025;
• SriLankan is operating triangular flight CMB>CDG>FRA>CMB services until 03 Dec 2025. It's been operating with 3 weekly.
• SriLankan is increasing CMB- GAN flights from 2 weekly to 3 weekly in Dec 2025;
• Smartwings is resuming WAW- MCT- CMB flights with 1 weekly from 23 Dec 2025;
• Enter Air is connecting CMB with Poland cities : Warsaw, Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow and Poznan in Dec 2025. Charter flights are operating on various dates.
• Batik Air Malaysia is planning KUL- CMB resumption in 30 March 2026. 4 weekly flights onboard B738;

Can you please share here if i missed any new flight services to CMB? Thank you.

A/L	DEST	VIA	FLTS PER WEEK IN FROM 26-OCT-2025 TO 30-NOV 2025	FLTS PER WEEK IN FROM DEC 2025	FREQ VARIATION
3L	AUH	---	5	5	0
3Z	WAW	---	0	1	1
6E	BLR	---	14	14	0
6E	BOM	---	7	7	0
6E	HYD	---	6	6	0
6E	MAA	---	27	27	0
8D	DAC	---	5	7	2
8D	DXB	---	7	7	0
8D	KUL	---	3	4	1
8D	MLE	---	9	9	0
AI	BOM	---	7	7	0
AI	DEL	---	14	14	0
AK	KUL	---	14	14	0
CA	TFU	---	6	7	1
CX	HKG	---	7	7	0
EK	DXB	---	21	21	0
EK	DXB	MLE	7	7	0
EY	AUH	---	27	27	0
FD	DMK	---	7	10	3
FZ	DXB	---	21	26	5
FZ	DXB	MLE	7	7	0
G9	SHJ	---	20	20	0
GF	BAH	MLE	7	8	1
HM	SEZ	---	1	2	1
IZ	TLV	---	1	1	0
J9	KWI	---	11	11	0
KU	KWI	---	4	4	0
MH	KUL	---	7	7	0
MU	KMG	---	5	7	2
MU	PVG	---	7	7	0
OQ	CKG	---	0	0	0
OQ	MLE	---	0	0	0
OV	MCT	---	4	6	2
QR	DOH	---	28	35	7
SQ	SIN	---	7	7	0
SU	SVO	---	3	3	0
TG	BKK	---	7	7	0
TK	IST	---	10	10	0
UL	BKK	---	14	18	4
UL	BLR	---	10	10	0
UL	BOM	---	14	14	0
UL	CAN	---	4	4	0
UL	CDG	---	0	3	3
UL	CGK	---	7	7	0
UL	COK	---	7	7	0
UL	DAC	---	7	7	0
UL	DEL	---	14	14	0
UL	DMM	---	7	7	0
UL	DOH	---	7	7	0
UL	DXB	---	11	11	0
UL	FRA	---	0	3	3
UL	FRA	CDG	3	0	-3
UL	GAN	---	2	3	1
UL	HYD	---	5	5	0
UL	ICN	---	2	2	0
UL	IXM	---	6	6	0
UL	KHI	---	4	4	0
UL	KTM	---	4	4	0
UL	KUL	---	14	14	0
UL	KWI	---	7	7	0
UL	LHE	---	4	4	0
UL	LHR	---	9	9	0
UL	MAA	---	21	21	0
UL	MEL	---	7	7	0
UL	MLE	---	21	21	0
UL	NRT	---	4	4	0
UL	RUH	---	7	7	0
UL	SIN	---	14	14	0
UL	SYD	---	4	4	0
UL	TRV	---	4	4	0
UL	TRZ	---	8	8	0
WK	ZRH	---	2	2	0

*Edit Thank you VC10 for an update on Air Seychelles. I have amended the above table now.

Aircraft Movements at CMB by hour

NOVEMBER 2025
TIME	TOTAL WEEKLY FLIGHT ARRIVAL PER WEEK	TOTAL WEEKLY FLIGHT DEPATURE PER WEEK	TOTAL WEEKLY ARRIVAL + DEPARTURE FLIGHTS PER WEEK
00	25	47	72
01	13	37	50
02	28	25	53
03	24	24	48
04	2	33	35
05	35		35
06	27	6	33
07	7	52	59
08	45	26	71
09	22	32	54
10	21	16	37
11	56	10	66
12	15	25	40
13	16	40	56
14		32	32
15	37		37
16	31	19	50
17	39	27	66
18	12	52	64
19	15	14	29
20	9	26	35
21	39	18	57
22	48	23	71
23	33	15	48
Grand Total	599	599
DECEMBER 2025
TIME	TOTAL WEEKLY FLIGHT ARRIVAL PER WEEK	TOTAL WEEKLY FLIGHT DEPATURE PER WEEK	TOTAL WEEKLY ARRIVAL + DEPARTURE FLIGHTS PER WEEK
00	25	35	60
01	16	39	55
02	28	24	52
03	28	21	49
04	11	35	46
05	25	5	30
06	28	6	34
07	7	52	59
08	45	28	73
09	30	32	62
10	17	16	33
11	57	15	72
12	15	26	41
13	15	37	52
14		31	31
15	38	1	39
16	31	19	50
17	42	27	69
18	13	52	65
19	15	20	35
20	10	27	37
21	40	20	60
22	36	24	60
23	35	15	50
Grand Total	607	607

​ 8 additional schedule flights have been added in period ; December 2025​

Mattala Airport international schedule flight update - Dec 2025

• Belavia is flying MSQ-HRI with 1 weekly onboard A332 in Dec 2025;
• Azur Air is planning launch direct charter flights between OVB-HRI in Dec 2025. Operational Dates for NW25/26 : 25-Dec-2025, 23-Feb-2026 and 07-Mar-2026;
• Redwings is continuing operate direct charter flights to HRI from DME, LED, SVX, KUF & OVB in Dec 2025;
• Skyup operational dates are below : RMO-HRI : 26-Dec-25, 07-Jan-26, 17-Jan-26, 28-Jan-26, 07-Feb-26, 18-Feb-26, 28-Feb-26, 11-Mar-26. Can't see Skyup connecting HRI with Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Warsaw etc this season. I wonder why ?

Does anyone know if any other flight services to be added to HRI in Dec 2025?

In November 2025 below services operated to HRI : -

• DME 2 flights/week (charter)
• LED 1 flights/week (charter)
• SVX 1 flights/week (charter)
• KUF 1 flights/week (charter)
• MSQ 1 flights/week (schedule seasonal)
• OVB 1 flights/week (charter)

Jaffna Airport international schedule flight update - Dec 2025

• Indigo is flying MAA-JAF flights with 7 weekly onboard ATR 72;
• Indigo is flying TRZ-JAF flights with 3 weekly onboard ATR 72;

Any reason why Indigo have reduced TRZ-JAF flights from 7 weekly to 3 weekly ?
Any updates on connecting JAF with more various south indian cities by Air?

Thanks for the update !

According to FR24, EXQ back in revenue service since 20 Nov 2025. Nice to see EXQ back in service ! EXS went to HYD on the 17 Nov 2025 and came back to CMB on the 22 Nov 2025.

​


I am also surprised that they reduced it. Maybe it’s due to an aircraft shortage, because they only have two A320 Neos for all international operations. It’s also very sad that UL stopped flying to Seychelles. There are many Sri Lankans there, and now they have to spend nearly USD 1,000 to travel to Sri Lanka via Qatar or Emirates, taking more than one day. A direct flight takes around four hours, and the round trip would only cost about USD 500–600.

It was reduced to one a week in October and November but in December it is back up to 2 per week.

So from 1 up o 2, not the other way round.

Thanks VC10fan. Yes you're correct. Typo at my end! Im sorry guys. Above table and flight information have been amended now on our website.

Hi Haleef and the team, Do we have any update on VP-CRP/4R-ALU? I am off to IST to spot 4R-ALU and currently waiting at LHR T2 for my TK flight.

Will keep you posted here for further updates!

20251126_033649.jpg

Update : I have arrived in Istanbul Ataturk today afternoon. Went to see 4R-ALU but I didn't see MSN 1037 in the North Apron. Didn't get time to go South Apron as its dark. Planning to go South Apron tomorrow morning.

Good morning from Istanbul

Spotted VP-CRP [MSN 1037 is parked in front of Turkish Technic Hangars today morning ! Aircraft has been painted to all white and still in VP-CRP rego.

What flag is painted near the registration?