Cheap flights to Sri Lanka

Discover Sri Lanka

How to find cheap flights to Sri Lanka

Find the best deal on cheap flights to Sri Lanka with Skyscanner. The average price of a flight to Sri Lanka from the UAE is AED2500 but flight prices depend on the availability of seats, the day(s) on which you travel, and when you book.

To find the best flight price for your holiday, use Skyscanner’s flight search. If you’re flexible on when you fly, select the ‘cheapest month’ option to see the lowest prices over a whole year. Or if you know what month you want to fly to Sri Lanka, find the cheapest day to travel with our whole month search tool.

Airports with direct flights to Sri Lanka from the UAE

Direct flights to Sri Lanka from the UAE depart from Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Please note that these departures only fly into Colombo Airport.

Note that Sri Lanka's capital Colombo has more than one airport, so be sure to check whether your flight is to/from Colombo Bandaranayake Airport or Colombo Ratamalana Airport.

The average flight time from the UAE to Sri Lanka is between four and five hours.

What airlines fly to Sri Lanka from the UAE?

A number of airlines offer direct and indirect flights to Sri Lanka from the UAE, often daily, including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.

Find out more information on airlines that fly to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka airports

Sri Lanka has two airports in Colombo.

Colombo Bandaranayake Airport is located 32km north of Colombo city centre. The journey time by car or taxi to Colombo is 20 minutes. An airport shuttle transports passengers to the bus terminal from which intercity bus 187 leaves for central Colombo every 30 minutes.

Colombo Ratamalana Airport is 20 km from Colombo's city centre.

When to go to Sri Lanka

The best time to visit Sri Lanka is during the east coastal dry season from April to November or December to March for the west coast and central highlands dry season. Christmas and the New Year are popular times to go to Sri Lanka with plenty of celebrations, while July and August bring many festivals to Sri Lanka. The most popular season for tourism is from December to March, when the country attracts those feeling the western winter chill.  It is best to avoid this time if you want to find cheap flights to Sri Lanka.

What’s the weather like in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has a tropical climate with wet and dry seasons. The Yala monsoon brings rainfall to the country’s western and southern regions from May to September; and a dry season from December through to March. The Maha monsoon affects northern and eastern Sri Lanka from October to January, with the dry season from May to September. This region receives less rain than the south and west. The uplands of Sri Lanka are cooler with temperatures from 16-20ºC. Coastal areas see around 27ºC. March to June is warmer with temperatures up to 33ºC, while the temperatures in November to January are a few degrees lower, from 24ºC.

Further information on visiting Sri Lanka

Where to stay in Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka hotels for every budget

Check out SriLankan Airlines baggage guide

What to see and do in Sri Lanka

Beautiful Sri Lanka is where India meets Asia in a magical blend of cultures and religions. This is a land of white sandy beaches, ancient relics and ruins, stunning steaming rainforest and some of the most colorful festivals in the world. Buddhist culture gives an air of serenity to this sun-kissed paradise in the Indian Ocean. Monsoons bring the surfers out into the tropical wild waves while the endless sun shines down on the ancient temples, shrines, historic architecture and Buddha relics that adorn the country. In the lush green hills that cascade down towards the watery paddy fields, where former colonial tea plantations and elegant mansions were once the norm, there is wonderful trekking and hiking and climbing in the hills. Back in the cities and towns there are shops and cafes, restaurants and beach bars and plenty of western trappings to enjoy, not to mention traditional Sri Lankan cuisine which is out of this world.

Attractions: Beaches, Adam’s Peak, Reefs of Bentota, ancient Anuradhapura, outdoor activities in Kitulgala, Pigeon Island, Yala National Park, Ella Colonial Village, Dambulla Cave Temples, surfing in Talalla, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Galle Fort and whale watching off Mirissa.