Holiday flights from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) often mean a late-night or early-morning drive to Katunayake. That leaves two problems to solve: getting there without leaving your car in an airport car park for weeks, and making sure the car starts when you come home. Here's how to do both.
Getting to BIA: your options
| Option | What happens to your car | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Drive and park at the airport | Waits in the airport car park until you're back | Parking charges add up on a long trip, and the battery sits unused the whole time |
| Taxi or ride-hailing | Stays at home | You'll need another ride back, often late at night with luggage |
| A family member drives you | Goes back home with them | Someone has to make the round trip to Katunayake, sometimes at 3 a.m. |
| A driver for your own car | A driver takes you to BIA and drives your car home | Book ahead in the Family Driver app. The same service can bring your car to pick you up when you land |
With an airport driver, you travel in your own car, your luggage stays in your own boot, and nobody in the family has to drive to Katunayake and back.
While you're away: stop the battery going flat
A car that sits for weeks can come back to a flat battery. Modern cars draw a small current even when they're switched off, for the alarm, the immobiliser and the onboard computers, and an older battery may not have much to spare.
- Test the battery before you fly. If it's more than two years old, have it tested. Our sister company, Jampare's 24/7 jump start and battery service in Colombo, can test it at your home and fit a new one on the spot if it's weak.
- Ask someone to drive it once a week. A proper 20–30 minute drive recharges the battery. A few minutes of idling in the driveway doesn't do much.
- Switch off what you can. Turn off a dashcam's parking mode, unplug accessories, and check that every light is off and the doors and boot are fully shut.
- Away for a month or more? A battery maintainer (a smart charger) keeps the battery topped up if you have a safe power point. Disconnecting the negative terminal also works, but some cars then need the radio or windows reset, so check your owner's manual first.
Back home and the car won't start?
It's one of the most common surprises after a long trip. Don't keep turning the key: it only drains what's left in the battery.
Call Jampare on 076 609 6969. They come to your home anywhere in Colombo and the suburbs, 24/7, usually within 20–30 minutes. A jump start costs Rs. 2,000–2,500 for most cars, and you pay after they arrive. If the battery won't hold a charge, they can replace the battery at your home on the spot.
After a jump start, drive for at least 20–30 minutes so the battery can recharge.
Book your airport driver
Book a driver in the Family Driver app for your drop-off, and again for your pickup when you land. You travel in your own car, the way you're used to.
Book an airport driver in the app
A verified driver takes you to BIA in your own car. Download the Family Driver app to book.
