Polgolla Reservoir Airport

Polgolla Reservoir Airport, also known as Katugastota Airport, is a small domestic aerodrome situated near Katugastota, a suburb on the northern edge of Kandy in Sri Lanka's Central Province. The facility sits close to the Polgolla Reservoir on the Mahaweli River and serves as a reference point for light aviation and charter operations in the region rather than a full-service commercial terminal.

What are the key facts about Polgolla Reservoir Airport?

The airport is officially catalogued under the IATA code KDZ and the ICAO designator for Katugastota. It is classified as a small aerodrome and operates within the Asia/Colombo time zone, which runs at UTC +05:30 throughout the year — Sri Lanka does not observe daylight saving time.

Where exactly is Polgolla Reservoir Airport located?

The aerodrome lies just north of Kandy city, close to the Polgolla Dam — a transverse dam across the Mahaweli River completed in the 1970s as part of Sri Lanka's Accelerated Mahaweli Programme. The surrounding landscape is hilly and forested, typical of Sri Lanka's central highlands. Katugastota itself is a busy township separated from central Kandy by the Mahaweli River, connected by a series of bridges along the A9 and A10 trunk roads.

Visitors heading to Kandy's key cultural sites — the Temple of the Tooth Relic, the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, or the Kandy Tourist Information Center — will find that the airport sits within a short drive of the city centre, making it convenient for charter arrivals.

How do I get from Polgolla Reservoir Airport to Kandy city?

The airport is approximately 5–7 km from central Kandy, depending on the route taken along the river roads. Private taxis and three-wheelers (tuk-tuks) are the most practical option for onward travel; there is no scheduled bus service that directly connects the aerodrome to the city. Journey time by road is typically 15–25 minutes, varying with Kandy's notoriously congested traffic, particularly around market hours and festival periods such as the Esala Perahera Festival.

What type of flights operate at Katugastota Airport?

Polgolla Reservoir Airport does not handle scheduled commercial airline services. It is used primarily for light aircraft operations, government aviation, and ad hoc charter flights. Travellers seeking regular air connections to Kandy-area destinations generally route through Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in Colombo — approximately 115 km southwest — and then transfer by road or rail. Ratmalana Airport (RML), closer to Colombo, also supports select domestic routes.

Domestic light-aircraft services elsewhere on the island — connecting cities such as Batticaloa, Ampara, and Anuradhapura — operate from Ratmalana rather than Polgolla, making it worth planning your onward connections carefully before booking ground transport to this aerodrome.

What should travellers know about the Kandy region around the airport?

Kandy is the cultural capital of Sri Lanka and the gateway to the country's hill country. Beyond the city itself, the region offers several day-trip destinations reachable within an hour or two. The Horton Plains National Park, with its famous World's End escarpment, lies to the south, while tea estates and mountain villages fill the landscapes between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.

Within the Kandy district, the Randenigala Dam — another major Mahaweli scheme structure — sits to the east and is occasionally visited as a scenic detour. The broader Mahaweli corridor connects central Sri Lanka's highlands to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in the north-central plains, a route that passes through some of the island's most varied ecological zones.

Is there accommodation near Polgolla Reservoir Airport?

Katugastota has a range of budget guesthouses and mid-range hotels, and Kandy city — only a short drive away — offers a wide spectrum of accommodation from boutique heritage properties to international-brand hotels. Travellers arriving on charter flights should arrange accommodation in Kandy in advance, particularly during peak seasons (December to March and July to August) and the weeks surrounding the Esala Perahera, when rooms across the city fill quickly.

What is the best way to plan a trip around the Kandy area?

Given that Polgolla Reservoir Airport handles no scheduled commercial traffic, most visitors to Kandy arrive by train, private car, or bus from Colombo or other Sri Lankan cities. The train journey from Colombo Fort to Kandy is widely considered one of Asia's most enjoyable rail rides, running through rubber plantations and tea country. From Kandy, guided day tours radiate outward to the Cultural Triangle, the hill country, and the southern wildlife parks.

A private driver or guided itinerary from Kandy is by far the most flexible option for exploring the region, especially for travellers with a limited number of days. For broader Kandy sightseeing, a Kandy City Tour provides a structured introduction to the city's temples, markets, and colonial-era architecture.