Every non-scheduled flight into or across Sri Lankan airspace needs approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL). Which approval, how much notice it takes, and what has to accompany the application depends on whether you are landing, stopping for fuel, or simply transiting the Colombo FIR.

This page sets out what CAASL requires from a visiting operator: the permit types, realistic lead times, the documentation checklist, where applications go, and what pushes a file onto the slow path. It is written for dispatchers, operations managers and brokers planning a Sri Lankan sector — not as an introduction to what a civil aviation authority is.

What CAASL does that affects your flight

CAASL is the regulator for civil aviation in Sri Lanka, established under the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka Act No. 34 of 2002 and operating under the Civil Aviation Act No. 14 of 2010. Its head office is at No. 152/1, Minuwangoda Road, Katunayake, adjacent to Bandaranaike International Airport.

For a visiting operator, four of its functions matter:

• It issues overflight, landing and technical-stop permits for non-scheduled operations.
• It approves airport slots. Applications are submitted to CAASL and simultaneously routed to the SLOT Committee; slot allocation occurs only after DGCA/CAASL landing approval is granted.
• It bills air navigation charges for use of the Colombo FIR, directly to the operator.
• It sets the documentation standard every application is measured against.

Everything else CAASL does — personnel licensing, airworthiness oversight, accident investigation, drone regulation — sits outside the trip-planning path.

Which permit you need

Operation	Permit required	Issued by
Transiting the Colombo FIR without landing	Overflight permit	CAASL
Technical or fuel stop, no traffic uplifted or discharged	Technical stop permit	CAASL
Landing to embark or disembark passengers or cargo	Landing permit	CAASL
Air ambulance / medevac / SAR / relief	Landing permit, expedited handling	CAASL
State, military or VVIP flights	Diplomatic clearance	Ministry of Foreign Affairs via embassy, plus CAASL

State and military aircraft do not go through the standard commercial route. Those requests are made through diplomatic channels — your embassy or high commission in Colombo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and run on a separate and usually longer timeline. Start those weeks ahead, not days.

Lead times

Official notice requirements set out in Sri Lanka AIP GEN 1.2 vary significantly based on the category of operation. While published figures list calendar days, operators should treat these as working days to account for CAASL office hours, weekends, and official Sri Lankan holidays (including monthly Poya days).

Permit type	Notice required	Notes / Application Category
Non-scheduled commercial passenger landing	30 days	Minimum notice required by AIP GEN 1.2
Non-scheduled commercial cargo landing	7 days	Requires full manifest & consignor/consignee details
Private / Corporate landing	7 days	Non-revenue general aviation
Overflight (PAX, Cargo, Ferry, Private)	3 days	Colombo FIR transit
Technical / Fuel stop only	3 days	No traffic uplifted or discharged
Air ambulance / Medevac / Relief	“At the earliest”	Expedited emergency handling
Seasonal / Block overflight	14 days	Helicopters, airships, or seasonal blocks

Two things about these numbers catch operators out:

• Working days, not calendar days. A cargo permit requested on a Thursday afternoon does not clear the following Thursday — it clears the Thursday after, once the weekend is excluded. Sri Lankan public holidays, of which there are many, extend it further. Poya days fall monthly.
• The clock starts on a complete application. An application missing a noise certificate has not started its notice clock; processing time begins when the last document arrives.

Permit validity and revisions

Flight clearance or re-clearance remains valid for 48 hours from the intended time of operation. If actual operations slip beyond this 48-hour window, the original clearance expires and a fresh re-clearance must be requested (quoting the original Flight Clearance Number).

Outside this window, or where any of the following change, the permit must be formally revised:

• Aircraft registration / call sign
• Destination or routing
• Entry or exit point of the Colombo FIR
• Purpose of flight / payload
• Operator

Revisions are notified to CAASL in advance via flightpermission@caa.lk. Any cancellation or schedule delay within 2 days of the planned operation must be explicitly notified. A permit issued for one registration does not transfer to another aircraft, which is the single most common cause of an aircraft swap turning into a ground delay.

Documentation checklist

All documents must comply with ICAO Annex 9 standards and be furnished in English (or legible English handwriting):

Aircraft

• Certificate of Registration
• Certificate of Airworthiness
• Certificate of Insurance, valid for the operation and Sri Lankan airspace
• Noise Certificate (ICAO Annex 16 compliant)

Operator

• Air Operator Certificate and Operations Specifications (commercial operators)
• Operator billing address and contact details

Flight

• Complete schedule with dates and times in UTC
• ATS routing with Colombo FIR entry and exit points
• Alternate aerodrome
• Aircraft type, state of registry, registration, call sign
• Pilot-in-command name and nationality
• General Declaration
• Passenger manifest, or detailed cargo manifest with consignor and consignee details
• Dangerous Goods Declaration (NOTOC) where applicable

Air ambulance, additionally

• Treating physician and receiving hospital details
• Medical report supporting the urgency of the mission

Where applications are filed & Office Hours

Permit applications go to CAASL. Landing applications at international airports are submitted to mgrastr@caa.lk and forwarded simultaneously to the SLOT Committee:

Airport	ICAO / IATA	Slot / Application Routing
Bandaranaike International, Colombo	VCBI / CMB	mgrastr@caa.lk & SLOT Committee (slots@srilankan.com)
Colombo International, Ratmalana	VCCC / RML	mgrastr@caa.lk (handling via local FBO agent)
Mattala Rajapaksa International	VCRI / HRI	mgrastr@caa.lk & mriasco.am@airport.lk
Jaffna International	VCCJ / JAF	mgrastr@caa.lk (handling via AASL / local agent per AIP AD 2 VCCJ)

CAASL Permit Desk Details & Office Hours:

• Office Hours: 0300–1045 UTC (08:30–16:15 Sri Lanka Time / UTC+5:30), Monday through Friday except public holidays.
• Primary Contacts (Office Hours): flightpermission@caa.lk (AIS Desk), scaiais@caa.lk, caiais1@caa.lk, caiais2@caa.lk. Tel: +94 11 235 8851 / +94 11 235 8856 / +94 11 235 8858. Fax: +94 11 225 3627.
• After Hours, Weekends & Holidays: Applications and urgent medevac/AOG clearances should be emailed to flightpermission@caa.lk and followed up with the Non-Scheduled Duty Officer via mobile: +94 77 666 9416 or +94 77 666 9788.

Note: Colombo Ratmalana (VCCC) operates dawn to dusk for international arrivals unless prior permission is granted per AIP AD 2 VCCC. Planning a late arrival into VCCC without that permission is a common and avoidable error.

Fees

CAASL does not charge a processing fee to issue an overflight or landing permit. What you pay is separate:

• Air navigation charges for use of the Colombo FIR, billed by CAASL directly to the operator. The amount depends on route flown and aircraft weight category.
• Landing and parking charges, billed by the airport operator (AASL). Parking is free for the first three hours; thereafter 10% of the applicable landing charge applies per three-hour block. Only nose-in parking is permitted.
• Ground handling, fuel and services, billed by your handling agent.

What pushes an application onto the slow path

In order of how often it happens:

1. An incomplete document set. The clock does not start until the file is complete.
2. An insurance certificate that does not cover the operation — wrong period, wrong territory, or limits below requirement.
3. A registration change after submission. This is a revision requiring re-clearance, not a simple amendment.
4. Applying across a weekend or Poya day without counting working days correctly.
5. Routing that does not match the filed ATS route, or entry and exit points that do not correspond to the schedule.
6. Cargo without consignor and consignee details, or an undeclared dangerous goods component.

Short notice, out of hours and AOG

Short-notice applications are accepted at CAASL’s discretion. They are not guaranteed, and the realistic determinant is whether the file is complete and whether someone can reach the duty officer desk.

Air ambulance and medevac flights are handled differently — same-day processing within hours is achievable where the medical documentation is in order.

For standard operations arriving outside CAASL working hours without using the after-hours duty officer channel, an application submitted on a Friday evening is effectively a Monday morning application.

Where SEAS fits

SEAS files permit applications with CAASL on behalf of operators, and holds CAASL approval as a ground handling agent. What that changes in practice:

• The file is complete when it is submitted. We check the document set against current requirements before it goes in, removing the most common cause of delay.
• Permits, slots and handling are coordinated together, so a confirmed permit is not sitting alongside an unconfirmed slot.
• We are reachable outside CAASL hours and coordinate directly with duty officers on short-notice or AOG requests.
• Revisions are handled as they arise — an aircraft swap or a schedule slip is notified without the operator chasing it.

You can apply directly. Operators with an established Sri Lankan pattern and a complete document set frequently do. The case for an agent is strongest on short notice, on first-time operations, on anything involving a technical stop plus fuel plus handling, and on any AOG.

Request handling and permits →

Frequently asked questions

How long does a CAASL permit take?

Allow 3 days for an overflight or technical stop permit, 7 days for commercial cargo or private landings, and 30 days for non-scheduled commercial passenger landings. These should be treated as working days — weekends and Sri Lankan public holidays (including monthly Poya days) do not count. The clock starts when CAASL receives a complete application, not when you first make contact.

Can I apply directly or do I need an agent?

You can apply directly to CAASL via flightpermission@caa.lk. An agent adds value in three situations: short-notice requests where a complete first-time submission matters, operations combining permits with slots, fuel and handling, and AOG or medevac where someone needs to coordinate outside authority hours.

What documents does CAASL require?

Certificate of Registration, Certificate of Airworthiness, Certificate of Insurance, and Noise Certificate for the aircraft; AOC and Operations Specifications for commercial operators; and for the flight itself, the schedule, ATS routing with entry/exit points, alternate aerodrome, registration/call sign, PIC details, General Declaration, and passenger/cargo manifest (in English). Medevac flights require physician and receiving hospital reports.

Is a permit needed for a technical stop?

Yes. A technical or fuel stop where no passengers or cargo are embarked or disembarked still requires a permit from CAASL, normally on 3 days’ notice.

What are the fees?

CAASL does not charge a processing fee to issue the permit itself. Air navigation charges for use of the Colombo FIR are billed by CAASL based on route and aircraft weight. Landing and parking charges are billed separately by the airport operator — parking is free for the first three hours, then 10% of the applicable landing charge per three-hour block.

Reviewed August 2026 by SEAS Operations Team, Sri Lanka Executive Aviation Services. Permit requirements and lead times change. Confirm current requirements before planning against this page, or contact our operations desk.