Jaffna International Airport — Jaffna, Sri Lanka

JAF operates from Palaly on the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, a site that spent decades primarily as a Sri Lanka Air Force base during the country's long civil conflict before gradually reopening to civilian traffic once fighting ended. Domestic flights resumed first, connecting the Tamil-majority Jaffna region to Colombo and cutting a road journey of many hours down to well under an hour by air. International service followed later, with flights to the Indian city of Chennai adding a direct link across the Palk Strait for a region with deep historical, linguistic, and family ties to Tamil Nadu. The airport's growth mirrors the broader postwar recovery of northern Sri Lanka, an area still rebuilding infrastructure and local economies after years of conflict damage. Passenger numbers through JAF remain modest compared with Colombo's main international airport, but the route network has expanded steadily since civilian service resumed.