# Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB)

> Colombo, LK · IATA: CMB · ICAO: VCBI · Large Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `CMB` |
| ICAO | `VCBI` |
| City | Colombo |
| Country | LK |
| Type | Large Airport |
| Elevation | 9 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 7.18076, 79.88410 |

## Description

SriLankan Cargo, the freight arm of national carrier SriLankan Airlines, runs its main operation out of Bandaranaike International, Sri Lanka's principal gateway at Katunayake near Colombo. Open to all cargo flights since October 2009, the dedicated terminal offers roughly 250,000 tonnes of annual handling capacity. Warehousing of about 8,690 m² across three terminals, plus cold and freezer rooms, supports temperature-sensitive consignments. The airport sits beside the Katunayake Export Processing Zone, and apparel and textiles from these industrial estates make up the bulk of outbound volume, alongside tea, cut flowers and fresh seafood. Customs clearance is handled by Sri Lanka Customs, with bonded warehousing and free-zone facilities easing re-export and value-added processing. The Port of Colombo, one of South Asia's busiest transhipment harbours, lies about 35 km away and enables combined sea-air routings. Passenger services centre on SriLankan Airlines and a broad network of Gulf and Asian carriers. For many years CMB acted as a relay for sea-air traffic moving Indian goods toward Europe and the Middle East.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/bandaranaike-international-colombo-airport-cmb](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/bandaranaike-international-colombo-airport-cmb)*

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