Airport · CAE · Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia, SC

Columbia, SC 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 67,973 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

84.3%
On-time: Top 41%
on-time, US airports: 79 min
Delay when late: 1.15%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

67,973

Best Month

Oct 94.8%

Worst Month

Jul 90.3%

Delayed

10,681

Cancelled

781

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 398,003.

Late Aircraft 40.0% (159,060 min)

Carrier 34.5% (137,358 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 17.0% (67,533 min)

Weather 8.5% (33,760 min)

Security 0.1% (292 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: October (94.8% on-time). Most delays: July (90.3% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	897	150	3	92.6%
November	939	117	4	94.7%
October	1,037	124	3	94.8%
September	994	123	6	94.3%
August	973	169	10	92.4%
July	1,005	223	17	90.3%
June	957	191	13	91.3%
May	883	156	6	92.7%
April	855	120	25	94.1%
March	982	130	21	94.5%
February	869	131	8	93.6%
January	939	149	15	93.3%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at CAE.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	11,039	1,107	180	90%
2024	13,637	1,023	106	92.5%
2023	12,230	806	91	93.4%
2022	11,133	739	113	93.4%
2021	10,224	519	50	94.9%
2020	9,710	410	241	95.8%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Columbia, SC.

Cancellation Rate

1.15%

781 of 67,973 flights

Diversion Rate

0.11%

72 of 67,973 flights

Delay Rate

15.7%

10,681 of 67,973 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	850	114	146	7	0
Nov 2025	968	79	109	23	2
Oct 2025	1,099	88	110	2	0
Sep 2025	986	64	78	4	2
Aug 2025	882	96	99	8	2
Jul 2025	968	130	130	34	3
Jun 2025	937	136	155	26	3
May 2025	908	108	155	15	0
Apr 2025	862	74	120	8	0
Mar 2025	752	47	87	9	0
Feb 2025	859	93	128	13	0
Jan 2025	968	78	106	31	2
Dec 2024	1,195	94	129	3	3
Nov 2024	1,219	85	90	2	1
Oct 2024	1,311	73	93	0	0
Sep 2024	1,192	93	96	6	0
Aug 2024	1,188	86	130	18	4
Jul 2024	1,154	124	194	33	3
Jun 2024	1,116	83	108	8	2
May 2024	1,184	113	153	11	2
Apr 2024	1,092	66	103	2	1
Mar 2024	1,046	79	92	2	0
Feb 2024	966	45	71	3	1
Jan 2024	974	82	126	18	0

Top Routes from CAE

Busiest routes to and from Columbia, SC.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
ATL (Atlanta) → CAE (Columbia)	12,756	87.7%	192 mi
CAE (Columbia) → ATL (Atlanta)	12,756	91.3%	192 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → CAE (Columbia)	6,631	82.9%	88 mi
CAE (Columbia) → CLT (Charlotte)	6,625	85.1%	88 mi
CAE (Columbia) → DCA (Washington)	4,909	77.8%	408 mi
DCA (Washington) → CAE (Columbia)	4,903	76.4%	408 mi
CAE (Columbia) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	4,675	78.2%	922 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CAE (Columbia)	4,675	74.7%	922 mi
CAE (Columbia) → LGA (New York)	2,056	83.7%	617 mi
LGA (New York) → CAE (Columbia)	2,056	80.7%	617 mi
ORD (Chicago) → CAE (Columbia)	1,448	78.3%	666 mi
CAE (Columbia) → ORD (Chicago)	1,446	82.3%	666 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Columbia, SC's 84.3%.

Ketchikan, AK

84.3% on-time 27,238 flights

Everett, WA

84.3% on-time 19,411 flights

Roswell, NM

84.3% on-time 11,879 flights

Ogdensburg, NY

84.3% on-time 3,089 flights

San Jose, CA

84.2% on-time 546,547 flights

Dayton, OH

84.2% on-time 87,827 flights

Other Airports in South Carolina

Compare performance with other South Carolina airports.

CHS 81.4%

Charleston, SC

Charleston · 276,798 flights

MYR 82.1%

Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach · 171,781 flights

GSP 83.5%

Greer, SC

Greer · 155,526 flights

HHH 83.5%

Hilton Head, SC

Hilton Head · 27,234 flights

FLO 92.5%

Florence, SC

Florence · 226 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Columbia, SC.

South Carolina flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in South Carolina.

View SC data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About CAE

Columbia, SC in Columbia, South Carolina handled 67,973 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 84.3% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 10,681 experienced delays, 781 were cancelled, and 72 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.15%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 79.1 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing CAE against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at CAE, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 40.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 34.5% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 17.0%. Weather contributes 8.5% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, October runs the cleanest at CAE with a 94.8% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 90.3% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 1,037. The busiest route connecting CAE is to ATL (Atlanta), with 12,756 flights at a 87.7% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 84.3% on-time, 79.1-minute average delay, 1.15% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Columbia, SC.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Columbia, SC (CAE)? ▼

Columbia, SC has an overall on-time departure rate of 84.3%. Out of 67,973 total flights tracked, 10,681 experienced delays and 781 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Columbia, SC is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 40.0% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at CAE? ▼

The average delay at Columbia, SC is 79.1 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 CAE? ▼

Based on historical data, October has the best on-time performance at CAE with 94.8% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at CAE? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at CAE, with an on-time rate of only 90.3%.

How many routes operate from CAE? ▼

Columbia, SC serves at least 12 routes. The busiest route is ATL to CAE (Atlanta - Columbia) with 12,756 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at CAE? ▼

Columbia, SC has a cancellation rate of 1.15%, based on 781 cancelled flights out of 67,973 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 CAE's data

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

Check the busiest route from CAE before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in October rather than July 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.