Bandaranaike International Airport, International airport in Negombo, Sri Lanka
Bandaranaike International Airport is the largest aviation facility in Sri Lanka, positioned roughly 33 kilometers (21 miles) north of Colombo near the coastal town of Negombo. Three terminal buildings spread across the grounds serve passenger traffic and commercial airlines.
The site began in 1944 as a Royal Air Force base during World War II. It was converted into a civil aviation center in 1967 and opened for regular passenger traffic.
The airport bears the name of a former prime minister who governed Sri Lanka between 1947 and 1959. Its designation recalls a defining political figure of the first decades after independence.
Express buses, taxis, a shuttle train, and rental cars connect the terminals with central Colombo. The journey to the capital takes between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
A Sri Lanka Air Force base sits on the same grounds and shares parts of the infrastructure with civil operations. Military and commercial aircraft thus use the same runways in parallel.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
