Airspace & Clearance · Colombo FIR
Overflight and landing permits for Sri Lanka
Non-scheduled and private flights operating into or over Sri Lanka require the applicable approval or clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL). SEAS prepares and submits the required application, coordinates the related landing and slot requirements, tracks the approval, and flags anything that could delay processing.
SEAS handles Sri Lankan permits for private, charter, cargo, technical-stop and other non-scheduled movements, acting on the operator's behalf with CAASL, the authority responsible for airspace and clearances on behalf of the Director General of Civil Aviation.
Overflight Permits
Transiting the Colombo FIR
An overflight permit authorises your aircraft to transit Sri Lankan airspace without landing. It's required for non-scheduled flights crossing the Colombo FIR, and the approval must be in place before you enter the airspace. For flights crossing the Colombo FIR outside Sri Lankan territory, the AIP states prior approval is not required — but an application must still be submitted before the flight begins.
Where CAASL issues a Flight Clearance Number, the operator includes it in Field 18 of the flight plan, and the pilot-in-command carries it and produces it to ATC when required.
48 hours from intended operation
Delay / cancellation
Notify CAASL · re-clearance if > 48h
Landing Permits
Non-scheduled landings in Sri Lanka
Non-scheduled and private flights intending to land require prior approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation, processed by CAASL's Air Navigation Services section. Applications are submitted in the prescribed AIP format before departure, and aircraft must use a listed international aerodrome.
Non-scheduled charter flights landing at an international airport must also be submitted to the Slot Committee for landing-slot clearance — and the AIP notes that slot allocation takes place only after landing approval has been issued.
Flight purpose & airport
Aerodrome
Listed international airport
Published minimum notice
Lead times at a glance
| Overflight | Minimum Notice |
| Non-scheduled passenger / cargo, private, or technical stop | 3 days |
| Helicopter, airship, glider or balloon | 14 days |
| Ambulance, search-and-rescue or relief | Earliest |
| Landing | Minimum Notice |
| Private landing | 7 days |
| Non-scheduled commercial passenger | 14 days |
| Non-scheduled commercial cargo | 7 days |
| Technical stop (passenger / cargo) | 3 days |
| Helicopter, airship, glider or balloon | 14 days |
| Ambulance, SAR or relief | Earliest |
| Other non-scheduled landing | 7 days |
Please note. Sri Lankan permit requirements, lead times and documents are set by CAASL and the Sri Lanka AIP, and can change. The periods above are the current published minimum notice — not guaranteed approval times. SEAS checks the live CAASL position for every movement, and regularly works within tighter windows where CAASL and complete documentation allow. Send us your flight and we'll confirm exactly what applies and how quickly it can be arranged — we never present an approval as guaranteed.
What you'll need
Documents for a permit application
• Passenger Data · Handled Securely
Manifests: 72 hours before filing
The AIP application format requires passenger passport numbers and nationalities to be forwarded to the DGCA at least 72 hours before the flight plan is filed (except ambulance flights). SEAS collects and transmits these securely as part of your submission — never through unsecured channels.
+ AIRPORT RULES
Beyond the permit itself, an airport may add its own requirements — prior permission (PPR), parking allocation, slot clearance, handling and fuel coordination. For flights to Colombo, for example, the CAASL ad-hoc checklist calls for slot and parking allocation from the Control Tower. SEAS coordinates these alongside the permit so the whole movement clears together. See trip support →
Frequently asked
Permit questions, answered
Planning an operation into Sri Lanka?
Practical information for flight departments, operators, dispatchers and trip planners — covering Sri Lanka flight permits, airport operations, ground handling, aviation fuel and technical stops.
Airport Ground Handling in Sri Lanka: Essential Services and Best Practices
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Jaffna Airport: Sri Lanka’s Northern Gateway Reopens for Commercial Flights
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Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI): Sri Lanka’s Ambitious Aviation Project
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Send us the routing. We'll prepare the clearance.
Share your route, aircraft and schedule, and our permits desk will prepare and file the application
with CAASL and confirm the clearance when issued.