Sri Lanka — Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka

The clocks it starts

• Two years for a Montreal Convention claim (Art. 35)This is the limitation period for the Convention claim for proven delay damages on international carriage, not for any national compensation scheme, which may have its own. It is fatal to the Convention claim specifically, and correspondence does not suspend it.Montreal Convention 1999, Art. 35(1) — Art. 35(1)Limitation period

What it entitles you to, beyond money

• If your itinerary touches India, the Indian regime is probably the stronger claimThe DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements bind any airline operating to or from India, including foreign carriers, and they pay real money for denied boarding, short-notice cancellation and involuntary downgrading. Regional itineraries very often route through Delhi or Mumbai without the passenger thinking of India as part of the journey. If any leg of your ticket departed from or arrived in India, work out the Indian claim before spending time on a regime we could not price.
• Montreal Convention damages for delay (international carriage)On international carriage between States Parties, Art. 19 of the Montreal Convention makes the carrier liable for the damage the delay actually caused you — the unused hotel night, the missed onward booking, the extra meals and transport — unless it proves it took all measures that could reasonably be required. It is capped at 6,303 SDR per passenger (the figure ICAO set with effect from 28 December 2024) and it requires receipts, not a formula. This claim exists independently of any national scheme, and airlines never mention it. The right is extinguished two years after arrival under Art. 35.Art. 19, Art. 22(1)

Where to take it next

1. 01Written claim to the airlineComplain to the carrier in writing first, with the flight, the disruption and the loss it caused, and ask which provision of the national civil aviation regulations it says applies. The regulator will ask whether you did, and the carrier's written answer is your evidence.Claim direct·typically 30 days
2. 02Civil Aviation Authority of Sri LankaCAASL regulates carriers operating to, from and within Sri Lanka and receives passenger complaints.Regulator·typically 90 days·official page
3. 03Consumer Affairs Authority (Sri Lanka)The Consumer Affairs Authority takes complaints about services supplied in Sri Lanka and can mediate and, where necessary, prosecute.Regulator·typically 90 days·official page
4. 04Consumer forum or civil courtBinding on themAvailable where the carrier refuses. Several states in the region run consumer forums that hear service-deficiency complaints cheaply and without a lawyer, which is the proportionate route for a disruption claim.Small claims·typically 180 days