Flying private to Colombia: permits, paperwork and handling
Colombia requires foreign private and business aircraft to obtain authorization from Aerocivil (Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronautica Civil) before landing or overflying. This guide covers what you need, how far in advance to ask, and which airports accept international arrivals, using live data from the i-Handler airport directory, sourced from the country AIP.
Authority: Aerocivil (Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronautica Civil) · Reviewed: 2026-09-27
Permits: who issues them and when to apply
Landing and overflight permits for foreign civil aircraft are handled by Aerocivil (Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronautica Civil). Requests are processed on business days; plan on at least 48 business hours before the flight, and earlier for charter.
Reference the approved permit in your ICAO flight plan (item 18) and file the plan only once the permit is confirmed. Private non-revenue and charter (revenue) flights follow different tracks; charter requires additional commercial documentation, so start earlier.
Bogota El Dorado (SKBO) sits at roughly 8,360 ft elevation: review aircraft performance for hot-and-high operations. Handling is expected at the major internationals.
Documents you will be asked for
Aircraft: certificate of airworthiness, certificate of registration, international insurance certificate with coverage valid for Colombia, and noise certificate.
Crew: pilot licenses and current medical certificates.
Passengers: passports (6 months validity is the safe standard) and a General Declaration (GENDEC) for arrival.
The i-Handler App generates the GENDEC, passenger manifests and the ICAO flight plan from your trip data, so the paperwork above is produced in minutes instead of retyped per flight.
Airports of entry
Airports of entry include Bogota El Dorado (SKBO), Medellin Rionegro (SKRG), Cartagena (SKCG), Barranquilla (SKBQ), Cali (SKCL), Bucaramanga (SKBG), Santa Marta (SKSM), Pereira (SKPE), Cucuta (SKCC), Leticia (SKLT) and San Andres (SKSP).
Plan your first landing at an airport of entry. Other fields may show customs in the AIP data, but use them as onward stops after clearing in, unless the authority authorizes otherwise. The live table below marks entry, customs, mandatory handling, slots and fuel per airport.
Colombia airports at a glance (live from the i-Handler directory)
| Airport | Entry | Customs | Handling | Slots | Fuel | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SKAPVillavicencio-Gomez Nino Apiay-Capt Luis F G Nino | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKARArmenia/El Eden | No | Yes | No | No | JET | 1 |
| SKASPuerto Asis/Tres De Mayo | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKBCEl Banco/Magdalena | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKBGBucaramanga/Palonegro (Lebrija) | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 2 |
| SKBOBogota/El Dorado International | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | JET | 7 |
| SKBQBarranquilla/Ernesto Cortissoz Intl | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 5 |
| SKBSBahia Solano/Jose Celestino Mutis | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKBUGerardo Tovar Lopez/Buenaventura | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKCCCucuta/Camilo Daza | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 1 |
| SKCGCartagena/Rafael Nunez International | Yes | Yes | Mandatory | No | AVGAS JET | 3 |
| SKCLCali/Alfonso Bonilla Aragon | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 3 |
| SKCMCimitarra | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKCNCravo Norte | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKCOTumaco/La Florida | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKCUCaucasia | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKCVCovenas AB | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKCZCorozal/Las Brujas | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKEBEl Bagre | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKEJBarrancabermeja/Yariguies | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKFLFlorencia/Gustavo A Paredes | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKGBMarco Fidel Suarez | No | No | Mandatory | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKGIGirardot/Santiago Vila | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKGOCartago/Santa Ana | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKGPGuapi - Juan Casiano | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKGYChia/Guaymaral | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 1 |
| SKIBIbague/Perales | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKIOMompos/Cicuco | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKIPIpiales/San Luis | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKLCCarepa/Antonio R Betancourt | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKLGPuerto Leguizamo/Caucaya | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKLMMaicao/Jorge Isaac/La Mina | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKLTLeticia/Alfredo Vasquez Cobo | Yes | Yes | No | No | JET | 1 |
| SKMDMedellin/E. Olaya Herrera | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 4 |
| SKMFMiraflores | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKMGMagangue/Baracoa | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKMJMaicao/Guajira | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKMLMontelibano | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKMPMompos/San Bernardo | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKMRMonteria/Los Garzones | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 1 |
| SKMUMitu/Alberto Leon Bentley | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKMZManizales/La Nubia | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 1 |
| SKNVNeiva/Benito Salas | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKOCOcana/Aguas Claras | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKPAPaipa/Juan Jose Rondon | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKPBUribia(Portete)/Puerto Bolivar | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKPCPuerto Carreno | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKPDPuerto Inirida/Obando/C G Trujillo | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKPEPereira/Matecana International | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 3 |
| SKPIContador/Pitalito | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKPPPopayan/Guillermo Leon Valencia | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKPRPuerto Berrio/Morela | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKPSPasto Antonio Narino | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKPVProvidencia Island/El Embrujo | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKPZPaz De Ariporo | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKQUJose Celestino Mutis/Mariquita | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKRGMedellin - Rionegro/Jose Maria Cordova | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 4 |
| SKRHRiohacha/Almirante Padilla | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKSASaravena/Los Colonizadores | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKSJSan Jose del Guaviare/Jorge E Gonzalez Torres | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKSMSanta Marta/Simon Bolivar | Yes | Yes | No | No | AVGAS JET | 3 |
| SKSOSogamoso/Alberto Lleras Camargo | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKSPSan Andres Island Gustavo Rojas Pinilla | Yes | Yes | Mandatory | No | JET ONLY | 3 |
| SKSVEduardo Falla Solano/San Vicente Del Caguan | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKTBTibu | No | No | No | No | AVGAS ONLY | 0 |
| SKTDTrinidad | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKTITolemaida AB | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKTLTolu - Golfo de Morrosquillo | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKTMGustavo Vargas/Tame | No | No | No | No | JET | 0 |
| SKUCArauca/Santiago Perez | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKUIQuibdo/El Carano | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKVGVilla Garzon | No | No | No | No | NO FUEL | 0 |
| SKVPValledupar/Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 1 |
| SKVVVillavicencio/Vanguardia | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 0 |
| SKYPAclaraban/El Yopal | No | No | No | No | AVGAS JET | 2 |
Live data from the i-Handler directory; each ICAO links to the airport page with contacts, frequencies and live METAR/TAF.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a landing permit for a private flight to Colombia?
Yes. Foreign private and business aircraft need authorization from Aerocivil (Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronautica Civil). Requests are processed on business days; plan on at least 48 business hours before the flight, and earlier for charter. The permit goes in item 18 of your ICAO flight plan.
Which airports in Colombia accept international arrivals?
Airports of entry include Bogota El Dorado (SKBO), Medellin Rionegro (SKRG), Cartagena (SKCG), Barranquilla (SKBQ), Cali (SKCL), Bucaramanga (SKBG), Santa Marta (SKSM), Pereira (SKPE), Cucuta (SKCC), Leticia (SKLT) and San Andres (SKSP). The table on this page shows entry, customs and handling status per airport, live from the i-Handler directory.
How do I find a handler or FBO in Colombia?
The i-Handler airport directory lists ground handlers and FBOs per airport with phone numbers, and pilots contact them by chat through the free i-Handler App.
What paperwork does a flight to Colombia require?
Aircraft certificates, insurance, crew licenses, passports and a General Declaration. The i-Handler App generates the GENDEC, manifests and ICAO flight plan automatically from your trip.
Do the paperwork once, not per flight
The free i-Handler App organizes the trip, generates the GENDEC, manifests and ICAO flight plan, and connects you by chat with the handlers and FBOs listed at your destination. Create your pilot account at i-handler.app.
Create your free pilot accountLast reviewed 2026-09-27 against operational sources. Requirements change: always confirm current rules with Aerocivil (Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronautica Civil) or your handler before the flight. This page is operational guidance, not legal advice.