SLAF Ratmalana (Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana)

SLAF Ratmalana, officially designated as Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana, is located 15 kilometers south of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The State Council of Ceylon authorized construction of an aerodrome at the site in 1934, and the first aircraft landed on 27 November 1935. During the Second World War, the aerodrome operated as a Royal Air Force (RAF) station. No. 30 Squadron RAF operated Hawker Hurricanes from the site against Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft. Additional RAF units deployed to the station during the war included Nos. 22, 42, 81, 84, 89, 136, 160, 176, 203, 217, 232, 258, 261, 273, and 292 Squadrons, as well as No. 1303 Flight RAF. Qantas Empire Airways operated Consolidated B-24 Liberators and Avro Lancastrians from the aerodrome on flights to Perth, Australia.

The facility served as Sri Lanka's primary international airport until 1967, when international commercial flights were transferred to Bandaranaike International Airport. International operations resumed at the airfield on 27 March 2022.

The installation functions as a dual military and civil air facility owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Air Force stations No. 8 Light Transport Squadron at the base. Helitours, an airline operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force, is headquartered at the site. The aerodrome also supports civilian flight training institutions, corporate jet traffic, and domestic charter carriers including Air Senok and FitsAir.

Infrastructure at the base includes two passenger terminals: Terminal 1 manages domestic flights and international corporate jet traffic, while Terminal 2 handles regional international flights. Available support facilities include refueling services, ground handling, passenger and baggage screening, quarantine, immigration processing, VIP lounges, and Aeronautical Information Services.