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 8h. 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 8h later. These services are operated by MSC, MSC, MSC, Maersk, COSCO, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, MSC, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk 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 44m. 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, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Air India, Gulf Air and Thai Airways and the typical transit time is around 10h 44m.

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 11,566 Nautical Miles (21,421 Kilometres / 13,310 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

889kg 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
Etihad Airways	1-2 times a day	Airbus A380-800+2 others
Emirates	2-4 times a day	Airbus A380-800+2 others
Qatar Airways	2-4 times a day	Boeing 777-300ER+7 others
Air India	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 777-300ER+1 others
Turkish Airlines	Daily	Airbus A321neo+4 others
Air India	1-2 times a day	Airbus A350-900+2 others
Gulf Air	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 787-9+1 others
Thai Airways	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 777-300ER+1 others

More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Operating carriers	Departure frequency	Aircraft types
Singapore Airlines	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A350-900+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
Britannia	Direct	Every 2-4 weeks	MSC
IPAK / NWC-KAP/DJI	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC, SCI, WEC
IEX / ME2	Direct	1-2 times a week	Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd
MSC - NWC-USA-SAWC → AEU5	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO
NEWMO → FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
NE2 / AE1 → IEX / ME2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
IOS / ME1 → IEX / ME2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
IPAK → Ingwe	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
IPAK → IOR3	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	MSC
AE1 → CMA - KILIMA \| ONE - EA2 \| XPF - DFX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk
NE2 → AA7	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd
NE2 → CIX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd
ME1 → Safina	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
AE1 → CUL - CWS \| EMC - CIX5 \| ONE - CIP \| SILMAR - CWX \| TSL - CWX \| XPF - CWX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
CISS → FAL6	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM
More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

London to Colombo By Air freight, Container ship or Road

Map / Route overview

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Air Freight

Container Ship

About Fluent Cargo

London to Colombo by Air freight

Quickest air route

London Heathrow Airport to Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport

Most frequent

London Gatwick 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

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

Shipping from London

Shipping to Colombo