Question 1

How long does it take to ship a container from Colombo to London by sea?

Accepted Answer

The shortest shipping time by sea between Colombo and London is 26 days 22h. Ships depart from Colombo (LKCMB) and arrive at London Gateway Port (GBLGP) with scheduled departures 1-2 times a week.

Question 2

How regularly do container ships travel between Colombo and London?

Accepted Answer

There are scheduled container ships that depart 1-2 times a week from Colombo (LKCMB) and arrive into London Gateway Port (GBLGP) around 26 days 22h later. These services are operated by MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Maersk, Maersk, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and Hapag-Lloyd.

Question 3

How long does it take to send cargo from Colombo to London by air freight?

Accepted Answer

The quickest flight from Colombo to London takes around 11h 20m. Flights depart from Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) and arrive at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

Question 4

How often do planes fly between Colombo and London?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled flights between Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) depart every 1-2 days. These flights are serviced by SriLankan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air India, IndiGo, Gulf Air, Air India, Thai Airways and Air China and the typical transit time is around 11h 20m.

Question 5

Do dedicated cargo planes (freighters) fly between Colombo and London?

Accepted Answer

Yes there are dedicated cargo planes that fly regular scheduled services between Colombo and London. Cargo flights depart from Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) and arrive at London Stansted Airport (STN) with departures 1-2 times a day and a average flight time of around 17h 33m. Turkish Airlines operates  on this route.

Question 6

What is the distance between Colombo to London by ship?

Accepted Answer

The distance between Colombo and London by cargo ship is 12,913 Nautical Miles (23,915 Kilometres / 14,860 Miles). This distance is measured by sea between Colombo (LKCMB) and Tilbury (GBTIL).

Question 7

What is the distance between Colombo to London by air?

Accepted Answer

The distance between Colombo and London by air is around 8,725 Kilometres (5,422 Miles). This distance is measured following typical flight paths between Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

Question 8

How much CO2 is produced when transporting a shipping container from Colombo to London by sea?

Accepted Answer

1.76t CO₂e (per TEU) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when transporting a typical shipping container (1 TEU) from Colombo to London. This is calculated using the overall historical emissions of the average container ship on this trade lane and dividing it by the total projected capacity.

Question 9

How much CO2 is produced when sending cargo by air from Colombo to London?

Accepted Answer

639kg CO₂e (per 100kg) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when sending cargo by air from Colombo to London. This is calculated by determining the total fuel burn output of various aircraft that typically fly this route and dividing it by the total available cargo capacity in KGs.

Operating carriers	Departure frequency	Aircraft types
SriLankan Airlines	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A330-300
Qatar Airways	Every few hours	Boeing 777-300ER+5 others
Etihad Airways	1-2 times a day	Airbus A321+3 others
Emirates	2-4 times a day	Boeing 777-300ER+2 others
Turkish Airlines	1-2 times a day	Airbus A330-300+6 others
Air India	2-4 times a week	Airbus A320neo+2 others
IndiGo	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A320neo+1 others
Gulf Air	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A321neo+1 others
Air India	1-2 times a day	Airbus A321+3 others
Thai Airways	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A320+1 others
Air China	2-4 times a week	Airbus A320neo+1 others

More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Operating carriers	Departure frequency	Aircraft types
Turkish AirlinesFreighter	1-2 times a day	Airbus A330-300+7 others
More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
NEWMO / AES	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC, CMA CGM, ANL, APL
IEX / ME2	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
IEX / ME2 → SAX / SAECS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
IOX → IRX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	ONE
Safina → AE15	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk
Safina → AE5	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk
Safina → AE3	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk
IEX / ME2 → IOS / ME1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
IEX / ME2 → NE2 / AE1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
INX / IOX / ISE → FE5	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, HMM, Yang Ming
MIAX / AIM → SAX / SRX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, ONE

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
NEWMO → BALT2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
NEWMO → PGE	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
FAL8 → HLX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
FAL8 → BALT2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
FAL8 → PGE	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
EPIC → EURAF1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Colombo to London By Air freight, Container ship or Road

Colombo to London by Air freight

Quickest air route

Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport to London Heathrow Airport

Cargo flights

Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport to London Stansted Airport

Colombo to London by Container ship

Quickest ocean route

Colombo to London Gateway Port

Closest seaports

Colombo to Tilbury

Compare shipping modes

Air Freight

Container Ship

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