LHR to CMB flight delays
236 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · UK Civil Aviation Authority
64.81%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.27%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
—
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
15 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In March it ran 41.3 points more punctual than in June — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The route has been getting worse. The later months run 16.7 points less punctual than the earlier ones. A drift of that size is rarely weather; it is more often an airline adding frequencies faster than the airports can absorb them.
The two directions do not behave alike. CMB to LHR arrives on time 14.7 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
This route does worse than its own airport. LHR as a whole runs 13.9 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, SriLankan Airlines arrived on time most often on LHR to CMB. Flights ran closest to schedule in March and worst in June.
Every airline on LHR to CMB
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SriLankan Airlines | 236 | 64.81% | 1.27% | — | F |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
CMB to LHR Colombo back to London 79.49% on time COther routes from London
Common questions
Are flights from London to Colombo usually delayed?
64.81% of flights on the LHR to CMB route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 4 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from London to Colombo?
Only SriLankan Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 236 flights and 64.81% arriving on time.
How often are LHR to CMB flights cancelled?
1.27% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 13 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly London to Colombo?
March, when 84.6% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 43.3%.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on LHR to CMB during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →