Helicopter Seats and Weight Limits Explained (120 kg per Seat)
Tokyo helicopter tour after the Asian Games in Nagoya: what 3, 4 and 5-seat cabins mean, why the 120 kg per seat limit matters and how to book honestly.
Sep 5, 2026·✍️ olablog·⏱ 8 min read
Tokyo helicopter tour after the Asian Games in Nagoya: what 3, 4 and 5-seat cabins mean, why the 120 kg per seat limit matters and how to book honestly.
Every helicopter flight OlaChill arranges has a fixed number of seats, and every seat carries a weight limit of 120 kg; most flights are a private helicopter for your party, priced per guest, and a few also sell single seats. A 3-seat cabin has a combined limit of 220 kg. Those two numbers decide whether your group fits, so they are worth understanding before you fall in love with a particular flight.
This guide is written for spectators who are adding a Tokyo, Mt Fuji or Yokohama flight before or after the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The Games run from 19 September to 4 October, with the Para Games from 18 to 24 October, and Tokyo is about 1h40 from Nagoya by Shinkansen. There is no helicopter product in Nagoya itself.
Below: how seats are counted, what the weight rules mean in practice, how children are treated, and why being honest on the booking form protects your own money.
Most flights are priced per guest; a few also sell single seats
Most flights, including the Tokyo sightseeing flights below except the AS350 flight, are a private helicopter for your party, priced per guest: you book from two guests up to the seat count and pay the price per guest for each person who boards, so three people on a 3-seat flight pay three times the price per guest. A few flights, such as the AS350 flight with an Alphard hotel transfer, also sell single seats on a shared flight, where a free seat can go to another passenger; on those flights you can book the whole aircraft as a private charter instead.
The Tokyo range is mostly 3-seat cabins, priced per guest: the 10-minute taster at ¥53,820, the 15-minute daytime Skytree flight at ¥82,350, the 22-minute night flight at ¥97,200, the 25-minute twin towers night flight at ¥110,700 and the 30-minute panorama at ¥164,700. Two 30-minute flights are the exception at 5 seats: the sunset and night flight at ¥311,850 per guest and the Tokyo flight in an AS350 with an Alphard hotel transfer at ¥93,400 per person or ¥420,300 for the whole aircraft.
In the Fuji region the picture is mixed. The 75-minute Hakone scenic flight and the 90-minute deluxe Hakone and Kamakura flight are 3 seats. The one-way Tokyo to Mt Fuji flight with an Alphard waiting at the pad is 4 seats, and the 120-minute grand circuit is 4–5 seats depending on the aircraft.
The 120 kg rule and the cabin total
Two limits apply at once:
- No single passenger may exceed 120 kg.
- The cabin has a combined limit based on its seat count. For a 3-seat cabin the total is 220 kg.
Notice that 3 × 120 is 360, not 220. Three adults each weighing 100 kg are individually fine but collectively 80 kg over the cabin limit. This catches out groups who only check the per-seat figure. For 4 and 5-seat cabins the combined figure is also tied to seat count; confirm the exact total on the product page before booking.
Why so strict? A helicopter's lifting margin is limited, and the operator calculates fuel and balance from the weights you declare. The limits are not a formality that can be waved through at the heliport.
Checklist before you pick a flight
Work through this list with your group before you open the calendar.
- Count the people who will actually board. Anyone occupying a seat counts, including children.
- Write down each person's approximate weight in clothes.
- Add them up and compare with the cabin total for the flight you want.
- Check nobody is over 120 kg individually.
- If you are over, move to a cabin with more seats, split into two cabins or reduce the party.
A group of three averaging 75 kg totals 225 kg and is over the 220 kg limit of a 3-seat cabin by 5 kg. That is the kind of margin where honesty matters, because the alternative is being turned away after paying.
Children: they take a seat
A child aged 3 or over is a passenger and takes a seat, regardless of the child's weight. A family of two adults and two children aged 3 or over therefore needs a 4-seat cabin or two flights, not a 3-seat cabin. One infant under 3 may sit on an adult's lap and does not take a seat, but still counts toward the weight total.
The upside for families is that children are usually light, which makes the cabin total easier to meet. Two adults at 80 kg each plus a child at 30 kg is 190 kg, comfortably inside a 3-seat cabin.
Which cabin suits which group
| Group | Suggested cabin | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Couple | 3 seats | One spare seat, generous weight margin |
| 3 adults | 3 seats | Check the 220 kg total carefully |
| 2 adults + 1 child | 3 seats | Usually well within the total |
| 2 adults + 2 children | 4 or 5 seats, or 2 Tokyo flights | Tokyo 3-seat cabins will not fit four; the two 5-seat Tokyo flights will |
| 4 adults | 4 or 5 seats | Tokyo to Mt Fuji flight with Alphard, the grand circuit, or a 5-seat Tokyo flight |
| 5 adults | 5 seats | Tokyo sunset-night flight or the 30-minute AS350 Tokyo flight with Alphard |
| 6 or more | Two cabins | Book consecutive slots |
The table shows a practical limitation: for a Tokyo-only flight with four people, your single-cabin options are the two 5-seat flights: the sunset and night flight, or the 30-minute AS350 flight with an Alphard hotel transfer at ¥93,400 per person or ¥420,300 for the whole aircraft. Otherwise plan two 3-seat flights in consecutive slots, which also gives the group two different views.
Why honesty at booking protects you
The weights you enter are used to plan the flight. If they turn out to be wrong on the day, the operator may refuse to fly, and a refusal caused by inaccurate passenger information is not a weather cancellation, so the generous weather refund does not apply. In short: guessing low can cost you the full price of your booking.
Enter realistic figures. If someone is close to the limit, say so and ask before you pay. OlaChill would rather suggest a different cabin than see a family turned away at Shin-Kiba after a Shinkansen ride from Nagoya.
Fitting the flight around the Games
Because the flights are in Tokyo, most spectators take them before the opening ceremony on 19 September or after the closing ceremony on 4 October. Book once your group is final, because date changes are free only up to 4 days before the flight and if someone drops out of a flight priced per guest, changing the number of guests goes through OlaChill (at least two must still fly) under the cancellation rules of your booking. Weather cancellations, on the other hand, always give you a full refund or a free date change.
How to book with OlaChill
Choose a flight whose seat count and cabin total fit your group, enter accurate weights and pay online at booking; the time shown is the meeting time and the flight begins around 30 minutes later. You can compare all cabins and prices on https://olachill.com/en/japan-helicopter-tours, browse the 4-seat Fuji options at https://olachill.com/en/japan-helicopter-tours/mt-fuji, and if your party is exactly five, the two 5-seat product pages are https://olachill.com/en/japan-helicopter-tours/tokyo-sunset-night-30min-5seats and https://olachill.com/en/japan-helicopter-tours/tokyo-helicopter-30min-alphard.
FAQ
Can we pay for an extra seat to take more weight?
No. Whether the flight is priced per guest, sold by the seat or booked as a whole aircraft, the limits are set by the aircraft, not by the number of seats sold. If your group is over the total, you need a cabin with more seats or a second flight.
Do children fly free if they sit on a lap?
Everyone aged 3 and over takes a seat and pays for it. One infant under 3 may sit on an adult's lap and does not take a seat, but still counts toward the weight total.
What if one of us is exactly 120 kg?
The limit is 120 kg per seat, so 120 kg is at the limit. Declare it honestly on the form and let OlaChill confirm with the operator before you pay. Remember the cabin total also has to work.
Are there 4-seat flights in Tokyo?
Not as a 4-seat cabin. The Tokyo sightseeing flights are 3 seats except two 30-minute flights with 5 seats, the sunset and night flight and the AS350 flight with an Alphard hotel transfer, and either one takes a group of four. On the Mt Fuji side, the one-way Tokyo to Mt Fuji flight with an Alphard waiting at the pad is 4 seats and the 120-minute grand circuit is 4–5 seats depending on the aircraft.
Does a weight refusal on the day get refunded?
Weather cancellations are refunded in full or moved free of charge. A refusal because declared weights were inaccurate is a different situation and may not be refunded, which is why accurate figures at booking matter.
More from this region — Other
View all →
Tennis at Higashiyama Park: A Group Day Plan With Coach Transfers
6 min · events
Hourly Chauffeur for Venue Hopping at the Asian Games
7 min · tips
Inuyama Castle by Private Car: Two Hours You Can Fit Between Sessions
6 min · itineraries
Ise-Shima by Private Car on an Asian Games Rest Day
6 min · itineraries