Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

The shortest shipping time by sea between London and Colombo is 26 days 23h. Ships depart from London Gateway Port (GBLGP) and arrive at Colombo (LKCMB) with scheduled departures 2-4 times a week.

Question 2

How regularly do container ships travel between London and Colombo?

Accepted Answer

There are scheduled container ships that depart 2-4 times a week from London Gateway Port (GBLGP) and arrive into Colombo (LKCMB) around 26 days 23h later. These services are operated by MSC, MSC and Maersk.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

The quickest flight from London to Colombo takes around 10h 30m. Flights depart from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and arrive at Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB).

Question 4

How often do planes fly between London and Colombo?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled flights between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) depart every 1-2 days. These flights are serviced by SriLankan Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Air India, Saudia, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air and the typical transit time is around 10h 30m.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

No, it doesn't look like there are dedicated Cargo planes flying between London and Colombo. There are regular passenger aircraft however and they might be able to accommodate your cargo depending on its dimensions and weight.

Question 6

What is the distance between London to Colombo by ship?

Accepted Answer

The distance between London and Colombo by cargo ship is 11,016 Nautical Miles (20,401 Kilometres / 12,677 Miles). This distance is measured by sea between Tilbury (GBTIL) and Colombo (LKCMB).

Question 7

What is the distance between London to Colombo by air?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

736kg CO₂e (per TEU) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when transporting a typical shipping container (1 TEU) from London to Colombo. 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 London to Colombo?

Accepted Answer

639kg CO₂e (per 100kg) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when sending cargo by air from London to Colombo. 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
Emirates	2-4 times a day	Airbus A380-800+2 others
Etihad Airways	Daily	Airbus A380-800+2 others
Air India	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 777-300ER+1 others
Turkish Airlines	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A321neo+4 others
Air India	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A350-900+2 others
Saudia	Every 4-6 weeks	Boeing 787-9+2 others
Thai Airways	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 777-300ER+1 others
Qatar Airways	2-4 times a day	Airbus A380-800+6 others
Gulf Air	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 787-9+1 others

More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
Britannia	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
IPAK / NWC-KAP/DJI	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC, SCI, WEC
IEX / ME2	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd
More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
APEX → FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
EUROMAR → FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
→ FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
NEWCISS → FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
→ FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
INX / IOX / ISE	Direct	Every 2-4 weeks	HMM, ONE, Yang Ming
INX / IOX / ISE	Direct	Every 2-4 weeks	HMM, ONE, Yang Ming
EPIC / EPIC3 / IP1 → FAL6 / AEU5 / LL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO, CMA CGM, OOCL
TAE3 → CEM	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
VICTORY / EAG / TAE3 / ATG → FAL6 / AEU5 / CEM / LL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen
AEU2 / FAL1 → AGI	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO, Evergreen
AEU2 / FAL1 / LL4 → PMX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO, Evergreen, OOCL
FAL1 → CIX8	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
FAL1 → CIX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
FAL1 / AEU2 / LL4 → CJX / SEA2 & AWE5 / PE1 / SEAP	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, OOCL
Condor → Britannia	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
FE3 → PMX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	ONE
Condor → Ingwe	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
FE3 → EC3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	HMM, ONE, Yang Ming
Condor → Carioca	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
LIBERTY / TAE / ATE1 → FAL6 / AEU5 / CEM / LL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen, COSCO, CMA CGM, OOCL
FAL8 / AEU9 / CES / LL7 → FAL6 / AEU5 / CEM / LL6	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Evergreen, CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

London to Colombo By Air freight, Container ship or Road

Map / Route overview

Compare shipping modes

Air Freight

Container Ship

About Fluent Cargo

London to Colombo by Air freight

Quickest air route

London Heathrow Airport to Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport

London to Colombo by Container ship

Quickest ocean route

London Gateway Port to Colombo

Closest seaports

Tilbury to Colombo

Cargo flights

Southampton to Colombo

More about shipping cargo and freight from London to Colombo by Air, Ocean and Road

Shipping from London

Shipping to Colombo