LHR to CPT flight delays
464 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · UK Civil Aviation Authority
85.93%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.43%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
—
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
10 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from LHR overall run 7.2 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion LHR has, this route is largely escaping it.
Only British Airways flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Flights from London to Cape Town keep to schedule more reliably than most. On a route this punctual the day you fly matters more than the airline you pick.
This is a thin route — 464 flights across the whole period. On a route this infrequent a cancellation is far more costly than the rate suggests, because the next departure may not be the same day.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, British Airways arrived on time most often on LHR to CPT. Flights ran closest to schedule in May and worst in June.
Every airline on LHR to CPT
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 378 | 85.68% | 0.26% | — | B |
| Virgin Atlantic | 86 | 87.06% | 1.16% | — | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
CPT to LHR Cape Town back to London 90.69% on time AOther routes from London
Common questions
Are flights from London to Cape Town usually delayed?
85.93% of flights on the LHR to CPT route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 1 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from London to Cape Town?
Only British Airways appears in the published record on this route, with 378 flights and 85.68% arriving on time.
How often are LHR to CPT flights cancelled?
0.43% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 4 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly London to Cape Town?
May, when 93.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 76.7%.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on LHR to CPT 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 →