Airport · BIS · Bismarck/Mandan, North Dakota

Bismarck/Mandan, ND

Bismarck/Mandan, ND posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 45,937 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

83.4%
On-time: Top 50%
on-time, US airports: 88 min
Delay when late: 1.06%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

45,937

Best Month

Sep 94%

Worst Month

Dec 87.9%

Delayed

7,617

Cancelled

486

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows BIS is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 369,133.

Late Aircraft 19.8% (72,908 min)

Carrier 55.9% (206,315 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 13.6% (50,278 min)

Weather 10.1% (37,180 min)

Security 0.7% (2,452 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (94% on-time). Most delays: December (87.9% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	675	152	13	87.9%
November	633	82	5	93.3%
October	680	85	2	93.8%
September	653	82	1	94%
August	661	112	1	92.7%
July	666	143	3	90.1%
June	622	123	2	91.1%
May	578	82	8	93.4%
April	584	73	20	94%
March	679	97	13	92.5%
February	604	112	6	90.3%
January	623	126	8	89.6%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at BIS.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	8,538	886	32	89.6%
2024	7,950	655	36	91.8%
2023	6,994	533	54	92.4%
2022	7,441	727	140	90.2%
2021	8,313	569	55	93.2%
2020	6,701	360	169	94.6%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Bismarck/Mandan, ND.

Cancellation Rate

1.06%

486 of 45,937 flights

Diversion Rate

0.17%

78 of 45,937 flights

Delay Rate

16.6%

7,617 of 45,937 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	731	122	107	7	1
Nov 2025	560	33	33	5	1
Oct 2025	668	52	54	0	0
Sep 2025	737	52	64	0	0
Aug 2025	802	79	98	0	4
Jul 2025	780	100	117	1	8
Jun 2025	736	77	97	2	3
May 2025	579	50	65	2	4
Apr 2025	693	70	71	2	2
Mar 2025	816	70	57	1	1
Feb 2025	704	83	68	10	3
Jan 2025	732	98	87	2	1
Dec 2024	777	91	81	2	1
Nov 2024	707	66	58	3	1
Oct 2024	749	33	25	2	0
Sep 2024	702	49	46	1	1
Aug 2024	705	53	76	0	0
Jul 2024	714	72	91	4	1
Jun 2024	685	74	94	3	2
May 2024	696	48	59	2	3
Apr 2024	559	30	39	1	2
Mar 2024	584	34	33	8	0
Feb 2024	518	45	39	0	1
Jan 2024	554	60	50	10	0

Top Routes from BIS

Busiest routes to and from Bismarck/Mandan, ND.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
MSP (Minneapolis) → BIS (Bismarck/Mandan)	9,208	86.1%	386 mi
BIS (Bismarck/Mandan) → MSP (Minneapolis)	9,207	87.4%	386 mi
BIS (Bismarck/Mandan) → DEN (Denver)	6,872	80%	516 mi
DEN (Denver) → BIS (Bismarck/Mandan)	6,863	80.4%	516 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → BIS (Bismarck/Mandan)	3,727	80.2%	977 mi
BIS (Bismarck/Mandan) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	3,725	78.1%	977 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Bismarck/Mandan, ND's 83.4%.

Burlington, VT

83.4% on-time 79,685 flights

Moline, IL

83.4% on-time 45,407 flights

Durango, CO

83.4% on-time 42,722 flights

Mason City, IA

83.4% on-time 5,851 flights

Fort Dodge, IA

83.4% on-time 5,848 flights

Greer, SC

83.5% on-time 155,526 flights

Other Airports in North Dakota

Compare performance with other North Dakota airports.

FAR 82.6%

Fargo, ND

Fargo · 74,155 flights

MOT 84.8%

Minot, ND

Minot · 29,078 flights

XWA 82.4%

Williston, ND

Williston · 18,596 flights

GFK 86.6%

Grand Forks, ND

Grand Forks · 14,798 flights

JMS 87.2%

Jamestown, ND

Jamestown · 9,384 flights

DVL 86.3%

Devils Lake, ND

Devils Lake · 7,845 flights

DIK 84%

Dickinson, ND

Dickinson · 4,996 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Bismarck/Mandan, ND.

North Dakota flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in North Dakota.

View ND data →

Airport rankings

See where BIS sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put BIS head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About BIS

Bismarck/Mandan, ND in Bismarck/Mandan, North Dakota handled 45,937 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 7,617 experienced delays, 486 were cancelled, and 78 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.06%, the diversion rate to 0.17%, and the average delay when departures run late is 88.4 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing BIS against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at BIS, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 55.9% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 19.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 13.6%. Weather contributes 10.1% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.7%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at BIS with a 94% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 87.9% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 680. The busiest route connecting BIS is to MSP (Minneapolis), with 9,208 flights at a 86.1% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 83.4% on-time, 88.4-minute average delay, 1.06% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Bismarck/Mandan, ND.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Bismarck/Mandan, ND (BIS)? ▼

Bismarck/Mandan, ND has an overall on-time departure rate of 83.4%. Out of 45,937 total flights tracked, 7,617 experienced delays and 486 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at BIS? ▼

The top delay cause at Bismarck/Mandan, ND is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 55.9% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at BIS? ▼

The average delay at Bismarck/Mandan, ND is 88.4 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from BIS? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at BIS with 94% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at BIS? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at BIS, with an on-time rate of only 87.9%.

How many routes operate from BIS? ▼

Bismarck/Mandan, ND serves at least 6 routes. The busiest route is MSP to BIS (Minneapolis - Bismarck/Mandan) with 9,208 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at BIS? ▼

Bismarck/Mandan, ND has a cancellation rate of 1.06%, based on 486 cancelled flights out of 45,937 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

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Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

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Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using BIS's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from BIS before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.