Airport · CLT · Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, NC posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as one of the busiest U.S. airports. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 2,345,248 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: 81 min
Delay when late: 1.10%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

2,345,248

Best Month

Nov 93.1%

Worst Month

Jul 85.1%

Delayed

421,203

Cancelled

25,904

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 15,793,480.

Late Aircraft 44.3% (6,990,883 min)

Carrier 31.4% (4,952,949 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 16.4% (2,596,784 min)

Weather 7.6% (1,194,969 min)

Security 0.4% (57,895 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: November (93.1% on-time). Most delays: July (85.1% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	31,540	5,754	105	90.3%
November	31,551	4,150	82	93.1%
October	34,140	4,664	118	92.7%
September	32,031	4,576	184	92.4%
August	33,691	7,371	337	88%
July	33,566	8,993	387	85.1%
June	31,926	7,560	368	87%
May	32,006	6,316	163	89.5%
April	32,300	4,940	1,072	91.9%
March	35,147	5,337	698	92.1%
February	30,369	5,151	329	91.4%
January	32,609	5,389	474	91.6%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at CLT.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	390,853	46,119	3,340	88.2%
2024	435,100	56,809	2,977	86.9%
2023	390,206	41,686	1,781	89.3%
2022	383,577	37,098	5,030	90.3%
2021	403,797	26,485	2,415	93.4%
2020	341,715	16,270	10,361	95.2%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Charlotte, NC.

Cancellation Rate

1.10%

25,904 of 2,345,248 flights

Diversion Rate

0.11%

2,512 of 2,345,248 flights

Delay Rate

18.0%

421,203 of 2,345,248 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	29,944	4,121	3,436	123	36
Nov 2025	29,882	2,842	2,346	217	26
Oct 2025	32,539	3,148	2,322	38	22
Sep 2025	30,396	2,592	1,855	56	31
Aug 2025	31,259	4,175	2,970	142	49
Jul 2025	32,894	5,568	4,092	380	63
Jun 2025	32,802	5,369	4,387	469	41
May 2025	35,867	4,543	3,940	286	40
Apr 2025	34,448	3,832	3,255	110	35
Mar 2025	35,849	3,744	3,270	299	46
Feb 2025	31,213	3,321	2,996	460	33
Jan 2025	33,760	2,864	2,630	760	34
Dec 2024	35,649	4,391	3,703	59	43
Nov 2024	35,021	2,414	2,283	8	19
Oct 2024	39,507	3,642	3,382	173	22
Sep 2024	37,312	4,042	3,747	369	29
Aug 2024	38,301	5,978	4,827	617	46
Jul 2024	38,083	8,393	6,629	702	59
Jun 2024	37,424	5,719	4,247	312	68
May 2024	38,409	6,828	5,882	261	71
Apr 2024	36,301	4,327	3,769	88	43
Mar 2024	34,801	4,186	3,439	61	35
Feb 2024	31,532	2,600	2,242	26	26
Jan 2024	32,760	4,289	3,834	301	40

Top Routes from CLT

Busiest routes to and from Charlotte, NC.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
CLT (Charlotte) → ATL (Atlanta)	29,653	84.4%	226 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → CLT (Charlotte)	29,651	84.6%	226 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → LGA (New York)	28,574	77.9%	544 mi
LGA (New York) → CLT (Charlotte)	28,570	84%	544 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → MCO (Orlando)	27,975	75.4%	468 mi
MCO (Orlando) → CLT (Charlotte)	27,972	79.5%	468 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → BOS (Boston)	25,149	79.1%	728 mi
BOS (Boston) → CLT (Charlotte)	25,137	84.5%	728 mi
ORD (Chicago) → CLT (Charlotte)	24,230	81%	599 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → ORD (Chicago)	24,157	80%	599 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CLT (Charlotte)	21,899	77.1%	936 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	21,878	79%	936 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → EWR (Newark)	21,468	74.8%	529 mi
EWR (Newark) → CLT (Charlotte)	21,424	80.8%	529 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → BNA (Nashville)	20,058	80.5%	328 mi
BNA (Nashville) → CLT (Charlotte)	20,030	79.8%	328 mi
PHL (Philadelphia) → CLT (Charlotte)	19,924	81.4%	449 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → PHL (Philadelphia)	19,904	78.3%	449 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → DTW (Detroit)	19,721	84.6%	500 mi
DTW (Detroit) → CLT (Charlotte)	19,717	86.8%	500 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

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

Kansas City, MO

82% on-time 524,365 flights

Cleveland, OH

82% on-time 446,498 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 North Carolina

Compare performance with other North Carolina airports.

RDU 81.6%

Raleigh/Durham, NC

Raleigh/Durham · 616,332 flights

GSO 84.6%

Greensboro/High Point, NC

Greensboro/High Point · 116,389 flights

AVL 80%

Asheville, NC

Asheville · 114,713 flights

ILM 83.9%

Wilmington, NC

Wilmington · 80,728 flights

FAY 86.9%

Fayetteville, NC

Fayetteville · 22,542 flights

OAJ 87.4%

Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune, NC

Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune · 20,873 flights

USA 72.4%

Concord, NC

Concord · 10,857 flights

EWN 85.7%

New Bern/Morehead/Beaufort, NC

New Bern/Morehead/Beaufort · 8,887 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Charlotte, NC.

North Carolina flight data

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

View NC data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About CLT

Charlotte, NC in Charlotte, North Carolina handled 2,345,248 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 421,203 experienced delays, 25,904 were cancelled, and 2,512 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.10%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 81.1 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing CLT against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at CLT, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 44.3% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 31.4% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 16.4%. Weather contributes 7.6% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.4%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, November runs the cleanest at CLT with a 93.1% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 85.1% - a 8-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 35,147. The busiest route connecting CLT is to ATL (Atlanta), with 29,653 flights at a 84.4% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 82% on-time, 81.1-minute average delay, 1.10% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Charlotte, NC.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Charlotte, NC (CLT)? ▼

Charlotte, NC has an overall on-time departure rate of 82%. Out of 2,345,248 total flights tracked, 421,203 experienced delays and 25,904 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Charlotte, NC is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 44.3% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at CLT? ▼

The average delay at Charlotte, NC is 81.1 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 CLT? ▼

Based on historical data, November has the best on-time performance at CLT with 93.1% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at CLT? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at CLT, with an on-time rate of only 85.1%.

How many routes operate from CLT? ▼

Charlotte, NC serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is CLT to ATL (Charlotte - Atlanta) with 29,653 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at CLT? ▼

Charlotte, NC has a cancellation rate of 1.10%, based on 25,904 cancelled flights out of 2,345,248 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

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 CLT's data

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

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