Airport · CLE · Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, OH

Cleveland, OH posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 446,498 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

82%
On-time: Top 67%
on-time, US airports: 76 min
Delay when late: 1.27%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

446,498

Best Month

Sep 94.1%

Worst Month

Jul 89.1%

Delayed

80,317

Cancelled

5,664

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 2,822,297.

Late Aircraft 38.2% (1,078,245 min)

Carrier 32.4% (913,469 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 25.8% (727,261 min)

Weather 3.5% (99,383 min)

Security 0.1% (3,939 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (94.1% on-time). Most delays: July (89.1% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	6,140	1,187	83	91.1%
November	6,209	926	23	93.2%
October	6,526	904	26	93.7%
September	6,191	840	36	94.1%
August	6,576	1,355	89	91.1%
July	6,586	1,630	96	89.1%
June	6,109	1,450	78	89.7%
May	5,834	1,089	44	91.6%
April	5,772	949	152	92.8%
March	6,755	1,090	139	92.6%
February	5,712	931	82	92.5%
January	6,007	1,037	97	92.1%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at CLE.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	80,137	7,146	747	91.1%
2024	82,211	7,020	707	91.5%
2023	83,323	7,474	680	91%
2022	78,473	7,025	1,483	91%
2021	67,789	5,133	541	92.4%
2020	54,565	2,096	1,506	96.2%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Cleveland, OH.

Cancellation Rate

1.27%

5,664 of 446,498 flights

Diversion Rate

0.09%

423 of 446,498 flights

Delay Rate

18.0%

80,317 of 446,498 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	6,523	765	908	104	2
Nov 2025	6,506	581	718	76	3
Oct 2025	6,963	556	726	16	3
Sep 2025	6,505	421	499	20	6
Aug 2025	7,012	598	838	63	12
Jul 2025	7,163	816	1,085	137	14
Jun 2025	7,034	777	1,053	97	13
May 2025	7,176	675	807	33	6
Apr 2025	6,821	437	587	32	8
Mar 2025	7,005	566	694	44	6
Feb 2025	5,578	457	544	61	6
Jan 2025	5,851	497	593	64	2
Dec 2024	6,439	655	727	18	4
Nov 2024	6,389	386	434	7	4
Oct 2024	7,158	346	458	38	0
Sep 2024	6,973	351	527	18	2
Aug 2024	7,221	676	917	126	8
Jul 2024	7,600	917	1,132	139	12
Jun 2024	7,448	826	1,078	69	8
May 2024	7,337	695	885	50	14
Apr 2024	6,668	528	661	28	3
Mar 2024	6,829	626	759	28	6
Feb 2024	5,938	351	467	17	3
Jan 2024	6,211	663	757	169	4

Top Routes from CLE

Busiest routes to and from Cleveland, OH.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
CLE (Cleveland) → ORD (Chicago)	18,867	84.8%	316 mi
ORD (Chicago) → CLE (Cleveland)	18,627	79.7%	316 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → ATL (Atlanta)	18,092	85.8%	554 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → CLE (Cleveland)	18,085	81.9%	554 mi
LGA (New York) → CLE (Cleveland)	12,684	83.6%	419 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → LGA (New York)	12,654	83.6%	419 mi
MCO (Orlando) → CLE (Cleveland)	11,730	76%	895 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → MCO (Orlando)	11,721	76.8%	895 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → CLE (Cleveland)	11,042	78.3%	430 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → CLT (Charlotte)	11,040	83.9%	430 mi
EWR (Newark) → CLE (Cleveland)	10,410	79.9%	404 mi
DEN (Denver) → CLE (Cleveland)	10,374	77.3%	1,201 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → DEN (Denver)	10,355	84.1%	1,201 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → EWR (Newark)	10,207	81.7%	404 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	9,066	80%	1,021 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CLE (Cleveland)	9,066	74.5%	1,021 mi
BOS (Boston) → CLE (Cleveland)	8,894	82.1%	563 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → BOS (Boston)	8,891	83.1%	563 mi
CLE (Cleveland) → DTW (Detroit)	7,905	87.5%	95 mi
DTW (Detroit) → CLE (Cleveland)	7,904	84.5%	95 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Cleveland, OH's 82%.

Charlotte, NC

82% on-time 2,345,248 flights

Kansas City, MO

82% on-time 524,365 flights

Rochester, NY

82% on-time 126,934 flights

Lubbock, TX

82% on-time 69,433 flights

Santa Fe, NM

82% on-time 26,561 flights

Cincinnati, OH

82.1% on-time 423,583 flights

Other Airports in Ohio

Compare performance with other Ohio airports.

CMH 82.8%

Columbus, OH

Columbus · 450,603 flights

DAY 84.2%

Dayton, OH

Dayton · 87,827 flights

CAK 80.4%

Akron, OH

Akron · 36,344 flights

LCK 74.3%

Columbus, OH

Columbus · 12,681 flights

TOL 80.8%

Toledo, OH

Toledo · 7,268 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Cleveland, OH.

Ohio flight data

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

View OH data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About CLE

Cleveland, OH in Cleveland, Ohio handled 446,498 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 80,317 experienced delays, 5,664 were cancelled, and 423 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.27%, the diversion rate to 0.09%, and the average delay when departures run late is 75.9 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing CLE against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at CLE, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 38.2% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 32.4% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 25.8%. Weather contributes 3.5% 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, September runs the cleanest at CLE with a 94.1% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 89.1% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 6,755. The busiest route connecting CLE is to ORD (Chicago), with 18,867 flights at a 84.8% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 82% on-time, 75.9-minute average delay, 1.27% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Cleveland, OH.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Cleveland, OH (CLE)? ▼

Cleveland, OH has an overall on-time departure rate of 82%. Out of 446,498 total flights tracked, 80,317 experienced delays and 5,664 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Cleveland, OH is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 38.2% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at CLE? ▼

The average delay at Cleveland, OH is 75.9 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 CLE? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at CLE with 94.1% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at CLE? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at CLE, with an on-time rate of only 89.1%.

How many routes operate from CLE? ▼

Cleveland, OH serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is CLE to ORD (Cleveland - Chicago) with 18,867 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at CLE? ▼

Cleveland, OH has a cancellation rate of 1.27%, based on 5,664 cancelled flights out of 446,498 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

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

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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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 CLE's data

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

Check the busiest route from CLE before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September 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.