London to Colombo flights

When fares to Colombo are lowest

Fares to Colombo are usually lower outside the busy calendar weeks, once demand from UK school holidays and festival travel eases. Use the live fare calendar on this page to see this month's lowest fares, and compare the Slashtel Fare Index before you commit: 100 is the route's usual monthly fare and 85 or under is a good time to book.

The fare calendar covers 12 months, so you can look past the next school break and see which weeks look calmer. Fares tend to firm up in the weeks people travel most, so planning further out gives you more room to wait for a drop.

The Fare Index compares the lowest fare in the next three months against the route's usual monthly fare. It gives you a simple read on whether fares are running high or low for the time of year, wherever you are booking from in London.

1. Open the fare calendar on this page and pick the month you want to fly.
2. Check the Slashtel Fare Index for that month. Note where it sits against 100.
3. If the index is 85 or under, book. If it is higher, set an alert and wait.
4. Keep your dates flexible by a few days where you can, then recheck the calendar.
5. Recheck once a week until fares fall or your dates get close.

Direct flights and airlines on the route

Airlines on the route include SriLankan Airlines, which flies London to Colombo nonstop. Other airlines seen in our fare checks, including AJet, Gulf Air, Ryanair and Wizz Air, appear with a stop. This nonstop note is an example of the airlines flying the route, not a complete list, so check schedules before you book.

A nonstop flight removes the connection and the risk of a missed onward flight. That matters most if you are travelling with children or elderly relatives, or carrying a tight connection on to another city in Sri Lanka.

Watch the one stop options carefully. AJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air appear in our fare checks with a stop, and some of these are self transfer routes on separate tickets. If a flight is delayed, you carry the risk of the second ticket, so weigh the saving against the hassle.

Busy weeks on the London to Colombo route

Demand peaks around Christmas and New Year, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on 14 April, and the UK school summer holidays in July and August. These are the weeks when seats fill early and fares are least flexible, so book further ahead if your trip has to fall in one of them.

Families flying home for the April new year often need fixed dates. The same applies to Christmas and New Year, and to July and August when UK schools are out and holidaymakers head for Sri Lanka.

If your dates are fixed, set an alert early and watch the index through the months before. If you have room to move, shifting by a week or two either side of a peak can help.

Do not forget the time difference when you plan the day you land. Sri Lanka is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of the UK in winter and 4 hours 30 minutes ahead in British Summer Time, so an evening departure can land in Colombo in the morning.

Arriving in Colombo: phone, data and entry

Sort your mobile data before you fly so you land connected at Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport. Dialog, SLT Mobitel and Hutch run the main networks, and 4G is the network generation. For entry, check the official rules for your passport before you fly.

A travel eSIM means you can turn data on as soon as you land, without hunting for a shop in arrivals. A mobile top up also keeps a Sri Lankan number alive if you are staying long enough to want one.

Entry requirements change from time to time. Look up the official rules for your passport well before departure and check again close to your travel date, then keep copies with your travel documents.

How to get a price alert for your dates

We check fares every day and email when they fall well under the usual price for your dates, or under your own target. Set the target once and let the alert do the watching, which suits anyone booking around busy family weeks.

Add your dates and a target you are happy with. Naming a target means you only hear when the fare is worth acting on, so you are not scanning the calendar every morning.

Keep an eye on the Fare Index alongside the alert. If it drops to 85 or under, that is a good time to book, and the live fare calendar on this page shows this month's lowest fares.