Domestic flights

A small seaplane network that moves with the monsoon, turning a six hour mountain drive into thirty minutes. Pricey, daylight only, and on a few routes completely worth it.

South coast and the hill country Flying now
US$153 Cheapest one-way seat
07:00 to 17:00 Flying hours, daylight only
Flying now: south coast and the hill country1 November to 30 April

The north-east monsoon turns on the east coast just as the south and the highlands enter their best months, which is also the European winter holiday season. The network abandons the east and spreads across Koggala, Castlereagh, Kandy, Sigiriya and Hambantota.

CMB Castlereagh Reservoir, HattonDirect 10:3011:00
CMB Victoria Reservoir, KandyDirect 10:3011:00
CMB Sigiriya Domestic AirportDirect 11:0011:30
CMB Koggala LagoonVia Castlereagh 10:3011:45
CMB Weerawila, HambantotaVia Sigiriya 11:0012:30
CMB Weerawila, HambantotaVia Castlereagh and Koggala 10:3012:30
NUF Koggala LagoonDirect 11:1511:45
NUF Weerawila, HambantotaVia Koggala 11:1512:30
KDW Koggala LagoonDirect 11:1512:30
KDW Weerawila, HambantotaVia Koggala 11:1512:30
GIU Weerawila, HambantotaDirect 11:4512:30
GIU Koggala LagoonVia Hambantota 11:4513:15
KCT Bandaranaike International, KatunayakeVia Hambantota 12:0013:30
WRZ Bandaranaike International, KatunayakeDirect 12:4513:30
Not flying now: east coastPlan ahead for the other season

The south-west monsoon soaks the southern beaches and churns the sea, while the east coast enters its dry season. The aircraft follow the good weather, so the whole scheduled network moves east to Trincomalee and Batticaloa.

The 1 May to 31 October network

CMB China Bay, TrincomaleeDirect 10:3011:15
CMB Batticaloa Domestic AirportVia Trincomalee 10:3012:00
BTC Bandaranaike International, KatunayakeDirect 12:1513:00
TRR Bandaranaike International, KatunayakeVia Batticaloa 11:3013:00
Flying all yearRatmalana to Jaffna and Batticaloa
RML to JAF · FitsAir Ratmalana to Jaffna on the 70-seat ATR 72, resumed February 2020. Under an hour against eight to ten hours by road or rail, which is why it matters far more to residents and the diaspora than to tourists.
RML to BTC · FitsAir Weekly return service to Batticaloa on the Cessna 208B. Confirm the current day of operation before you plan around it.
When it earns its priceThe routes worth the money, and the ones not
1 The east coast in summerColombo to Trincomalee is 45 minutes in the air against five to six hours by car and eight or nine by train. This is the single strongest case for flying anywhere in Sri Lanka, and it only exists between May and October.
2 Jaffna, if you value the dayFitsAir from Ratmalana does in under an hour what takes seven to eight hours on the A9. If you are going north and back on a short trip, the flight buys you a whole extra day there.
3 The hill country, if money is no objectColombo to Castlereagh is thirty minutes against four hours of hairpins. It is also the most expensive seat in the country. Worth it if the mountain road would cost you a day you do not have.
4 Not for the south coastThe expressway broke this case. Colombo to Galle is under two hours by road for a few hundred rupees in tolls, so a flight to Koggala saves an hour at enormous cost. Drive, or take the highway coach.
5 Never as a tight connectionDaylight-only visual flying means weather cancels these flights more often than a jet. Do not book a domestic hop that has to connect to an international departure the same day.
What a seat costsStandard one-way fares
Colombo to Castlereagh30 min US$535
Colombo to Sigiriya35 min US$153
Koggala to Colombo35 min US$206
Hambantota to Colombo40 min US$230
Kandy to Hambantota1 h 30 min US$199

Fares are one-way per person before local taxes and surcharges. With only eight seats to sell, every seat has to carry its weight, which is why a thirty minute hop costs what it does. The airline does run promotional fares in the shoulder months and on routes now competing with the expressway, so it is worth checking the operator's own page for a current offer rather than assuming the standard fare.

The two airlinesCinnamon Air and FitsAir, and how they differ
Cinnamon Air Premium air taxi Its own domestic terminal inside Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)

The reason it exists is the amphibian. Landing on reservoirs and lagoons means it can deliver you to places with no runway at all, straight to a tea-estate bungalow or a beach lodge, turning a six hour mountain drive into thirty minutes.

Fleet. Two Cessna 208 amphibians and one wheeled Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Eight passengers and one pilot, no more.

Codeshares with SriLankan Airlines, so these flights can appear under the national carrier's flight numbers when booked through an international agent.

Daylight only. The civil aviation authority permits operations between 07:00 and 17:00, so there are no evening or night flights and a delayed inbound international arrival can cost you the connection entirely.
The cabin is not pressurised. It flies low, so cabin pressure tracks the outside air and ears feel every climb and descent.
No pets or live animals, because an unpressurised cabin is hard on animals that cannot equalise their ears.
Pregnant travellers are not banned but are asked to check with a doctor first, specifically because of the unpressurised cabin.
No catering or drinks service. Every flight is 30 to 60 minutes, so there is no time for it.

Beyond the scheduled network it charters to places with no timetabled service at all: Ampara, Anuradhapura, Colombo city at Waters Edge, Dikwella, Jaffna, Nuwara Eliya and Tissa.

Operating since 2013 · Saffron Aviation (Private) Limited
FitsAir Low-cost carrier Ratmalana Airport (RML) Terminal 2 for domestic flights, CMB for international

Started as a cargo airline in 1997 as Expo Aviation, became FitsAir in 2013 and relaunched as a low-cost passenger carrier in 2022. Domestically it does the utilitarian job: Colombo to Jaffna compresses an eight to ten hour road or rail journey into under an hour.

Fleet. A 70-seat ATR 72 and Cessna 208B Grand Caravans domestically; Airbus A320s on the international routes.

Using Ratmalana rather than the main international airport is deliberate. It is much closer to central Colombo than Katunayake, so for a domestic traveller the door-to-door time is shorter even before the flight starts.

Fares are unbundled across four tiers, Basic, Classic, Flex and Business. Economy Basic includes no checked baggage at all, so the headline price is not the price you pay with a suitcase.
Satellite phones are banned outright, enforced hardest on anything touching India.
Power banks are capped at two per passenger in the cabin, with larger capacities needing prior approval or banned entirely.
Cardboard boxes used as luggage may be refused or badly delayed.
Operating since 1997 · FITS Aviation (Pvt) Limited
Where they landWater landings and runways

Three are not airports at all. Castlereagh, Victoria and Koggala are water landings, which is the whole reason the amphibian exists.

CMB Bandaranaike International, KatunayakeColombo and the west coast runway
RML Ratmalana Airport, ColomboColombo city runway
NUF Castlereagh Reservoir, HattonHatton, Dickoya and the tea-estate bungalows water
KDW Victoria Reservoir, KandyKandy and the central highlands water
KCT Koggala LagoonGalle, Unawatuna, Ahangama and the south coast water
GIU Sigiriya Domestic AirportSigiriya, Dambulla and the Cultural Triangle runway
TRR China Bay, TrincomaleeTrincomalee, Nilaveli and Uppuveli runway
BTC Batticaloa Domestic AirportBatticaloa, Pasikudah and Kalkudah runway
WRZ Weerawila, HambantotaHambantota, Tissamaharama and Yala runway
JAF Palaly Airport, JaffnaJaffna and the northern peninsula runway
Baggage rulesThe two could not differ more
Cinnamon Air Cabin 5 kg

Checked. 23 kg

Excess. US$15 per kilogram over the allowance.

There are no overhead bins. Cabin bags are handed to the crew before boarding and stowed in a rear or pod compartment, so keep anything you actually want in flight in your pockets.
On a full eight-passenger flight the weight and balance sums often will not close with everyone's suitcases aboard. The airline reserves the right to send heavy bags on a later flight or by secure road transport instead.
That road transfer is a feature, not a failure: you get the thirty minute flight and your suitcase reaches the hotel by evening. Plan for it rather than being surprised by it, and keep medication, documents and a change of clothes on you.
FitsAir Cabin 7 kg (infants 5 kg)

Checked. Depends entirely on your fare tier, and Economy Basic includes none

Buy baggage online at least 24 hours before departure. Adding it at the airport costs substantially more.
Maximum two checked pieces, no single piece over 30 kg, and total dimensions under 158 cm.
Exceeding your piece count costs a flat USD 50 per extra bag at check-in even if you are under your total weight.
Oversized items carry their own fee on top of any weight excess. Televisions are priced by size and anything over 55 inches is refused outright. Medical and mobility equipment and infant prams are exempt.
Getting to the aircraftCheck-in timing at each operator
Cinnamon Air Check in at least 45 minutes before departure; counters close 30 minutes before. At the remote aerodromes security is handled by police and military checkpoints rather than a terminal, so allow two hours if you are flying out of one.
FitsAir Check in on the web to skip the queue at Ratmalana and Katunayake. Do not pack into cardboard boxes, they get refused or badly delayed.

Where to go next

International Live CMB arrivals and departures Journey times Compare flying with road and rail Airport transfers Getting to and from the terminal When to visit Why the network follows the monsoon
Schedules and fares compiled 2026-07 source

Schedules and fares are the operators' own published figures and change with the season and with demand. Cinnamon Air flies visual flight rules in daylight only, so weather cancels flights more often than it does on a jet. Always reconfirm directly with the operator before you build a connection around a domestic flight.