Sri Lanka ups tariffs for aircraft navigation facility 

The Sri Lankan government has increased aircraft navigation facility charges on foreign flights by 57 percent – the fees were last revised by the Civil Aviation Authority in 1981 (i.e. 38 years ago).

Announcing the tariff revision at a press conference held recently, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Arjuna Ranatunga said the decision was taken in keeping with ICAO policies for determining air navigation charges.


Airline navigation facilities and service charges are collected by countries for foreign aircrafts flying over their airspace. These fees typically represent a substantial source of foreign exchange for nations.

Ranatunga said the fee revision was expected to earn Sri Lanka an additional annual income of Rs. 813 million.

“There is a great demand for our airspace due to the increased activity of Indian airspace. Therefore, we expect income from these charges to be increased further in the future,” he explained.

The new tariff is expected to be implemented with effect from February 2020.