The permeation flow equations of cholesteric liquid crystals are derived using a decoupled formulation of the Leslie-Ericksen equations. The formulation sheds light on the role of Ericksen elastic stresses in permeation flows. The Darcy flow regime is shown to emerge in the absence of velocity gradients. The permeation flow equations are generalized to gravity driven flow and used to analyze a free-boundary film flow over an inclined plane.