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  About Colombo

Colombo is the largest city and the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is one of the holiday destinations that you must add to your travel list. It is also known for its eclectic dining scene and its nightlife. It is also a great place to shop for clothes, wedding invitations and indulge in spa treatments. Sri Lanka is also known for its wildlife and elephant sanctuaries. It is the perfect place to go to if you want to club your luxurious, relaxing holiday plans with adventures. You can either volunteer to help out at an Elephant Sanctuary or sign up for a walking tour. Do try the ayurvedic spas in the city to relieve yourself of all the stress. You can book a hotel in Colombo at an affordable price. While it is not exactly the cheapest holiday destination in Asia, it is worth every money spent. The city is also known for its temples and no matter which religion you follow, you will find a temple of your choice of deity/religion here.

Best Time to Visit Colombo

January to March is ideal for taking off to Colombo on a trip since they are the driest months of the year. The best season to visit, however, is winter from November to March. Winters are quite chilly, and it is the best time to go sightseeing, too. The rainfall does not affect any of your sightseeing plans or any other outdoor activities. It is also an ideal time to head to the beaches and indulges in a few water activities. Colombo also has a very vibrant nightlife that is best experienced in winter when there is barely any rainfall. You can book a hotel in Colombo that is either close to the beach or the nightclubs, depending on how you intend to spend your holiday. The temperature ranges from 25 to 30 degree Celsius. January to March is the high tourist season in Colombo, and a lot of attractions will be filled with tourists. Colombo is also filled with festive spirit during these months as they celebrate festivals like Thai Pongal, Independence Day of Sri Lanka, New Year and Duruthu Perahera Festival. Make sure you book your flight tickets to Colombo well in advance if you are on a budget. If you are planning to go to Colombo on your honeymoon, this is the best time to go.

Colombo experiences summer from May to October, and it is considered as an off-season for tourists. Not only is it unbearably hot in the city, but it is also quite humid, so much that you won't feel like stepping out of your hotel at all. The temperature ranges from 28 to 32 degrees and will only make you uncomfortable. However, since it is offseason, you will get great flight deals to Colombo online. It also rains during this season and might lead to a hailstorm sometimes. If you are not an outdoorsy person and prefer indoor activities, this might be the best time for you to head to Colombo. You will also get really good hotels at a reasonable price during this time since it is offseason and the demand is low. You can sip cocktails by the pool in your hotel or indulge in relaxing spa treatments. You can also explore the Pettah market during this time without being hassled by the tourist crowd. It starts raining from May to August, and it rains intermittently in September and October. The temperature ranges around 28 degree Celsius during this time.

Places to Visit in Colombo

Galle Face Green is a popular beach park in Colombo that you can visit. You can also indulge in a lot of water activities at the beach. Pettah Market is another popular destination where you can go on a shopping spree and walk away with high-end luxury items at the lowest prices. Fort-Colombo is an important tourist attraction in the capital of Sri Lanka. It is the political and cultural heritage of the country and is also known for its vibrant nightlife. A major part is shut because of the turbulence caused by the Civil War. You will also find a lot of casinos here. The National Museum of Colombo is the largest one in Sri Lanka. It was founded by the British Governor of Ceylon from 1872 to 1877, William Henry Gregory. You will find artwork that dates back to the British Colonial and Portuguese era, along with a lot of artefacts. The Gangaramaya temple is famous for its blend of culture and architectural styles from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chinese and India. It was built in the 19th century and is a place of Buddhist worship and learning. Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is another Buddhist temple that was built in the 5th century, which holds a lot of historical importance. The temple sees a lot of tourists and devotees during the Duruthu Maha Perehera every January and on full moon days of every month. The paintings and sculptures in the temple will tell you tales from Lord Buddha's life and the Jataka Tales.

Beira Lake is another popular landmark in the city where you can head to if you want to relax and soak in the beautiful views. It is also a highly recommended place for couples to head to in Colombo. Colombo Zoo also called the National Zoological Garden of Sri Lanka, houses over 300 different species of animals, birds, marine life and reptiles from all over the world. Casino Marina started in 2013 and is usually filled with elite tourists in the evenings. You can gamble away till wee hours of the night or enjoy the view of the sea from here. World Trade Centre is one of the most famous colonial buildings that you will find in the Old Fort area. St Lucia's Cathedral got its name after the saint martyr, St Lucia, who is believed to have protected everyone with eye problems in Colombo. It was built in 1760, and the Gothic style architecture draws tourists to it every year. Panadura and Crow Island Beaches are quite popular in the city and the best spots to indulge in recreational activities. You will find a lot of beach parks and temples in the city that are worth a visit.

Things to do in Colombo

Sign up for a city tour of Colombo and indulge in all the activities that come with your tour package. You can also get a customised tour of places that are of interest to you and activities that you have listed in your itinerary. Sri Lanka is known for its seafood and treating yourself to fresh seafood at Mt Lavinia Beach is highly recommended. While you can always rent a taxi for the entire day to get around the city, you can also enjoy a tuk-tuk ride, which is a popular way for locals to get around the city. Pettah Market, Good Market, Paradise Road are some of the popular places in the city for you to go on a shopping spree. You can also indulge in rejuvenating massage therapies at the spas in Colombo. The city also offers scuba diving at certain locations. If you want to give water sports a try, make sure you try this one. Most beaches also have boating, surfing and other water activities for you to try.

Food and Restaurants in Colombo

Seafood, especially prawns, is popular in Colombo since it is a coastal city. Curry Leaf and Seafood's Cove are some of the popular restaurants for you to binge on seafood or other types of meat. The city also has a lot of Indian restaurants; a lot of them have a vegetarian menu, too. Spice Coast is known for its biryani, Chana's for delicious North Indian cuisine and Shanmugas for its vegetarian menu. While you are trying seafood in the city, make sure you also try the chilli crabs. Paradise Road Gallery Cafe is a lovely cafe that is set in a walled garden and also has rotating exhibitions by local artists. It is considered as one of the most romantic restaurants in Colombo and is popular for its cakes. Rare is a chic and modern restaurant in Colombo with wonderful service. The restaurant uses organic produce to cook their unique, delicious cuisines and also boast of a wine cellar with over 150 labels. The lagoon is one of the best seafood restaurants in Colombo, and the fish curries, lobster Thermidor and raw sashimi are their speciality dishes.

How to reach Colombo (Transportation)

Bandaranaike International Airport, also called Colombo International Airport, is about 32 km north of Colombo. The flight connectivity to Colombo from India is excellent. While there are only a few direct flights to Colombo from India, most of the flights have layovers in Chennai or Bangalore. GoAir, Indigo and Spicejet have the maximum number of flights from India. However, Vistara and Srilankan Airlines have direct flights that help you reach the city in 2-3 hours instead of 6 hours. It is also quite easy to get cheap flight tickets to Colombo from India.

  About Emirates Airlines

Emirates, based in Garhoud, Dubai, is a state-owned carrier airline of United Arab Emirates. It is a subsidiary of the Emirates Group, wholly owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai. Emirates is undoubtedly the largest airline in the Middle East which has operations of more than 3,600 flights in a week from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, the hub of the airlines. It connects to over 150 international cities spread across 80 countries and has flights to six continents. With a fleet carrying about 300 aircraft along with cargo activities that fall under Emirates SkyCargo, it easily becomes one of the biggest and important airlines in the world.

The airline came into existence in 1985 after Gulf Air decreased the flight services to Dubai. Emirates was originally backed by Dubai's royal family as well as two flight services from Pakistan International Airlines on wet-lease. The start-up capital of the airlines was $10 million and operated independently from the government. Further on this, Pakistan International Airlines also enabled training services to help Emirates' cabin crew. The following years saw some tremendous expansion and put Emirates on the map of the top airlines in the world. This has been possible thanks to the leadership of their current chairman, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The airlines have managed to expand their fleet size as well as the number of destinations.

Dubai International Airport even constructed a new terminal building dedicated to Emirates in 2008. All operations concerning the airport have since been moved to Terminal 3 of the airport. Emirates currently operates a mixed fleet which includes Boeing wide-body aircraft along with Airbus among them. It has been recorded that Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, as of 2019, with about 115 aircraft service. The airlines plan to add eight more to its fleet. Ever since the introduction of Airbus A380, it has become an indispensable part of the Emirates fleet. It is perfect for long-haul international routes. Along with Airbus A380, Emirates is also known to be the largest operator of Boeing 777 in the world with 144 aircraft functioning from under the airlines.

Fleet size of Emirates

The fleet size of Emirates currently stands at 259 aircraft. The airline is the only one in the world to operate the largest fleet of massive aircraft, Boeing 777 and Airbus A380. The two aircraft are known for their gigantic sizes. Along with the two major aircraft, Emirates also accommodates A319, which flies as an executive jet. Since 1995, the airlines have not accommodated single-aisle aircraft as part of its mainline fleet.

Back in February 2019, Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to add 40 A330-900s and 30 A350-900s to their fleet. Simultaneously, they also plan to reduce the total number of Airbus A380 aircraft to 123. Post this, Airbus plans to cease production for A380. However, the same year, the airlines announced to order 50 instead of 30 A350-900s for a sum of USD16 billion. In the same year, Emirates also ordered 30 787-9s which values at USD8.8 billion. Deliveries of the same will commence in 2023 as the fleet further plans to reduce the order of 777Xs from a total of 150 to 126.

The livery on all Emirates flights features the flag of United Arab Emirates painted on the vertical stabilizer along with a white fuselage and the word Emirates etched in golden. The same design was introduced in 1999 and was first featured on the Boeing 777-300 as well as on all the Airbus A330 aircraft. The complete repainting of the fleet to the said design happened in 2005. An Arabic version of Emirates is also painted on the livery but has been etched in a smaller size.

Inflight services

First-class cabin services - In the first-class cabin, it has been segregated into two types of seating, one that is fully enclosed suite with a floor door extended to the ceiling and the second, also with doors but not the kind that extends up to the ceiling. The suite ensures complete privacy with in-flight services such as a coat rack, mini-bar and ample storage space. An ICE entertainment system has also been installed with a 23-inch wide LCD screen. The seat can be converted into a fully flat bed too. Interestingly, Emirates' in-flight services for first-class and business-class cabins also include lounge areas with a bar, shower-equipped lavatories and a spa. A 13-inch tablet to communicate with the cabin crew or call for room service is also available to upscale the first-class scenes for travellers.

Business-class cabin services - Emirates' in-flight services for business class cabins include a 2-meter long recliner that stretches up to 79 inches lie-flat bed. Some of the amenities present in the cabin include partitions for privacy, a winged headrest that has a six-way movement, individual reading lights, in-seat power supply, RCA socket to connect laptops and ICE entertainment system, to name a few. Business-class cabins of Airbus A380-800 aircraft accommodates flat-beds and personal mini-bars. However, due to the awkward layout of the cabin, some of the beds stretch only up to 70 inches instead of 79. Business-class travellers are also given access to the on-board bar which is located at the rear of the aircraft.

Premium economy class services - While no other aircraft of Emirates' fleet accommodates a Premium Economy Class, the same is available in their first Boeing 777X. The seats have been curated to fit the design of what can be found in Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ERs. These will be introduced in the aircraft that is slated to release in 2020-21. Details of the same are yet to be revealed by the airlines.

Economy class services - Emirates' economy class is not blessed with all the world-class features that their other cabins do, but it still has enough to keep the passengers comfortable. The seats offered on Airbus and Boeing 777 aircraft is approximately 34 inches. It has ten seats lined up in a row with adjustable headrests and an ICE entertainment system that offers 3000 channels. Not to mention how the seat also comes with a laptop power outlet in some of the newer aircraft. An additional recline is also available in A380 aircraft.

In-flight entertainment and dining services - Emirates prides itself on being the first airlines in the world to propose a personal entertainment system on commercial aircraft. The same was introduced in 1992, right after Virgin Atlantic brought forth similar ideation along with an entertainment system. Emirates' in-flight services include personal entertainment system which is of two types, ICE and ICE Digital Widescreen. Larger high definition screens have been installed in all classes of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleet. ICE is information, communication and entertainment and an in-flight service offered by Emirates. ICE also provides communication services which include sending and receiving emails for USD1 per message.

There are provisions to access mobile broadband services in flight as well. The same was introduced in 2008 and had been functioning well since. The airlines also offer scrumptious meals during the flight. Catering for the same is done by Emirates Flight Catering service, which operates one of the largest facility for airline catering in the world. Emirates strictly follows a halal dietary guideline and all meals are prepared accordingly. Much recently, Emirates also signed a million-dollar venture with Oakland-based Crop One Holding. The deal is to build and maintain the largest hydroponic growing facility that would provide yields to Emirates' fleet.

Baggage allowance

As long as you are able to meet the weight criteria, you can carry as many baggage on Emirates flights as possible. Depending on the class ticket that the traveller has purchased, the flight does have weight allowance segregated. As per the economy class' rules, the baggage on Emirates should not weigh beyond 32 kg. The weight concept applies to all international routes chosen by Emirates. As for first-class and business-class, the weight is 50 kg and 40 kg respectively. Emirates does not have baggage allowance with respect to numbers but requests passengers to adhere to the weight.

Popular routes and top cities for Emirates

Emirates has impeccable connectivity with respect to flights within the Middle East. Some of the domestic routes chosen by Emirates include countries such as Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Melbourne, Dhaka, Cambodia, Beijing, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo-Haneda, Singapore, Seoul, Male, Karachi, Christchurch, Auckland, Seychelles, Colombo, Hanoi and Bangkok in Asia, are some of the top cities that the airlines have flight operations in.

In terms of global reach, Emirates flies to international routes such as Addis Ababa, Cairo, Lagos, Cape Town, London, Istanbul, Zurich, Moscow, Lisbon, Madrid, Amsterdam, Athens, Rome, Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris, Copenhagen, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City to name a few.

Why travel by Emirates?

On a global scale, Emirates is the fourth-largest airline in the world in terms of passenger-kilometres flown and the second with respect to freight tonne-kilometres flown. The airlines have over the years built a name for itself to be the best with respect to comfort and connectivity. You can book Emirates flights online on all travel websites as well as the official site. Plus, you can find Emirates' flight schedules and check flight status on the website as well.

  About Colombo Airport

Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport, popularly known as Bandaranaike International Airport is the international hub that serves Sri Lanka. The airport is situated at Negombo and has been named after SWRD Bandaranaike, the former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

About Airport Terminals

Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport stretches about 32.5 km at Katunayake. The airport accommodates three passenger terminals with Terminal 1 being reserved for international airlines and flight activity. Terminal 2 also caters to international activities while Terminal 3 is set for domestic airline functions. Terminal 1 is the oldest and largest terminal in the Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport with 12 gates. It opened back in 1967. Departure and arrival are also located in the same terminal and separated horizontally. Currently, all the international operations take place from this terminal. The terminal is connected to one concourse which has all the 12 gates. The terminal also has two lounges with Srilankan Airlines' famous Serendib Lounge being installed. Along with this, the Palm Spirit lounge is also located in proximity. Terminal 1 also has a dedicated cafeteria, day-rooms, showers, duty-free shops and a smoking lounge.

Terminal 2 has been constructed and opened much recently. It has eight gates and accommodates departure and arrival areas which are separated vertically. As per expansion plans, the airport plans to build an extension to Terminal 2 which will be built in stages and phases. The new terminal is set to have eight boarding gates along with 14 passenger boarding bridges. The proposed development plan also has bridge accommodations for Airbus A380. Terminal 3 came into existence in 2012 and has since been used for domestic operations. The departure and arrival zones are strategically separated in a horizontal manner. There is a dedicated Cargo Terminal that takes care of all cargo airline activities. The arrival and departure are separated in the same way as terminal 1, horizontally.

About Airport Authority

Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport is owned by the Government of Sri Lanka while it is operated by Airport and Aviation Services Limited (AASL). AASL is a government body that has statutory powers to administer, manage and work on the development of the airport. The statutory body is also known to be a big contributor to Sri Lanka's economy as the civil aviation industry has witnessed tremendous financial revenues from the airport. Other airports that also fall under the AASL umbrella are Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Ratmalana Airport, Batticaloa Airport and Jaffna International Airport.

The airport has been going through some tremendous expansion plans and developments with a view to accommodating more airlines and flights. A split-level passenger terminal building is being constructed which would be separating both the departures as well as the arrivals vertically. Further on the same, there are constructions for a passenger boarding bridges that would directly connect to the new Airbus A380. Adding to the infrastructure would be a remote apron along with nine parking bays to facilitate air traffic movement. Stage II of the expansion seeks to acquiesce 600 hectares of land for construction of a new runway that can accommodate newer airplanes as well as aircraft maintenance and repair centre.

Top airlines flying from Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport

Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport accommodates various airlines as it is recognized to be one of the best tourist destinations. With its proximity to India, the airport sees a good amount of flights flying to Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport from the Indian cities. Some of the biggest Indian airlines operate from Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport are Air India, GoAir, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara. These airlines have dedicated direct flights to Sri Lanka. Indian cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, to name a few, have provisions of direct flight connections to Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport.

Similarly, various international airlines are also linked to Sri Lanka. In fact, some of the international airlines that operate from Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport are Air Arabia, AirAsia, Air China, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, Cinnamon Air, Edelweiss Air, Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Gulf Air, Korean Air, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Salam Air, Saudia, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and SCAT Airlines. A majority of the flight activities come from the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries. A handful of cargo carriers also fly in and out of the airport. These include Cathay Pacific Cargo, Turkish Airlines Cargo, SriLankan Cargo and Etihad Cargo.

Facilities at Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport

ATM, banks and currency exchange - The airport has a bunch of local banks and ATM services available. If you need to make the currency exchange for travelling within Sri Lanka or if you need some cash in hand for your destination outside the country, it can be arranged at the airport's premise.

Communication services - If you are in need of a local SIM service for your trip, you can get hold of the same at the airport itself. There are booths at the arrivals where they have telecommunication services. With necessary identification documents, you can get hold of the SIM.

Free WiFI - There are free WiFi services available at the airport. You will need to go to the website of Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport to avail the same. Or you can visit the information desk to learn more about how to work around it.

Medical services - To ensure that medical emergencies at the airport are resolved quickly, the airport has also installed designated medical rooms and services. You can find them as well as pharmacies also at the airport. In case you are unable to find them, you can visit the nearest information desk and get more details. The airport paramedic services are known to be of good quality.

Baggage - With respect to baggage services, the airport offers a slew of facilities that would be beneficial. You can get hold of services ranging from wrapping plastic on the luggage, trolleys, storage facilities for the luggage, delivering luggage to the specified destination and more.

Pet assistance - There is room for pet services at the airport too. In case you are travelling with pets, there are professional staff who can take care of your pets as well as their needs. They would require authorized papers and documents from the Department of Animal Production and Health.

Porter service - You can avail porter services at the airport. Basically, you will have to inform your airlines well in advance to book a porter service. The airport staff will escort you through the terminals and take care of your luggage. This would include a security check of the bags, wrapping services, etc.

Airport lounge - There are three lounges at the airport, namely, Lotus, Araliya and Executive. The lounges have been designed in a way to enhance tranquillity and excellent hospitality. You can relax in the lounge, and at the same time, you can avail their services too. These include rich culinary delights, good resting space and complimentary showers and spa.

Restaurants and cafe - Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport has many restaurants and cafes available. The departures and arrivals have good food establishments located perfectly to cater to passengers. Along with restaurants, the airport also as dedicated food courts that is in proximity to the lounge area.

Smoking zone - Smoking in public space is prohibited in Sri Lanka. Hence, the airport has also reserved a space for a smoking lounge. You can make purchases for cigarette boxes at nearby shops within the airport premise.

Transit Hotel - The airport's transit hotel is named Serendiva and offers world-class contemporary decor, aesthetic construction, modern amenities and top-notch hospitality. The interiors are known to bring about the rich culture of Sri Lanka. It is situated on the main pier of the Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport's arrival/departure zone. The hotel is also surrounded by duty-free shops, lounges, immigration counters, cafes and more.

How to reach Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport

The airport offers exemplary transport services and is well-connected to the main city. Although you would be required to travel a little depending on your itinerary and which part of the country you'll be visiting. But you will be able to reach the Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport from different parts of the country. There are public buses, transport services and taxicabs available.

Buses

Express public buses are available within the city that can reach you to Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport. It would only take about 25 mins to reach Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport from Colombo (Pettah) bus stand. From here, you can traverse through all parts of the country without any hassle. You will need to get used to the crowd because the buses are always packed.

Taxicab services

The city is well-connected by taxicab services that can be availed to reach the Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport. In fact, the airport also sees counters and lanes with taxi services outside the airport's arrival section. The arrival porch allows a fleet of 600 vehicles with fixed rates. With the taxicab, you can reach any part of the country, but it might get expensive depending on the distance from Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport.