LHR to HND flight delays
2,322 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · UK Civil Aviation Authority
79.29%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.82%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
—
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
13 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
Which airline you fly changes the odds here. Japan Airlines arrived on time 9.8 points more often than British Airways over the same period on the same route — same airports, same weather, same air traffic control. A gap that survives all of that is about how the two airlines are run.
The season swings this route hard. In November it ran 34.1 points more punctual than in July — 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 London to Tokyo route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, Japan Airlines arrived on time most often on LHR to HND. British Airways was late most often. Flights ran closest to schedule in November and worst in July.
Every airline on LHR to HND
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Airlines | 973 | 83.44% | 0.72% | — | B |
| British Airways | 860 | 73.59% | 0.93% | — | C |
| All Nippon Airways | 489 | 81.03% | 0.82% | — | B |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
HND to LHR Tokyo back to London 79.56% on time BOther routes from London
Common questions
Are flights from London to Tokyo usually delayed?
79.29% of flights on the LHR to HND route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airline is most on time from London to Tokyo?
Japan Airlines, at 83.44% on time across 973 flights. The least punctual on the route was British Airways at 73.59%.
How often are LHR to HND flights cancelled?
0.82% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 8 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly London to Tokyo?
November, when 92.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 58.4%.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on LHR to HND during March 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 →