Airport · COU · Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, MO
Columbia, MO posts bottom-quartile 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 19,935 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 80.3%
- On-time
- Top 83%
- on-time, US airports
- 87 min
- Delay when late
- 1.96%
- Cancelled
Key Performance Metrics
Total Flights
19,935
Best Month
Feb 92.7%
Worst Month
Jun 87.1%
Delayed
3,923
Cancelled
390
COU on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Where COU sits among all 382 tracked airports
COU's 80.3% on-time rate falls in the 80-85% band, the 192-airport band it shares.
National on-time-rate distribution
- 60-65% 1
1 airport between 60% and 65% on-time
1 airports
- 65-70% 4
4 airports between 65% and 70% on-time
4 airports
- 70-75% 9
9 airports between 70% and 75% on-time
9 airports
- 75-80% 48
48 airports between 75% and 80% on-time
48 airports
- 80-85%
192 airports between 80% and 85% on-time
192 airports
- 85-90%
116 airports between 85% and 90% on-time
116 airports
- 90-95% 12
12 airports between 90% and 95% on-time
12 airports
What this shows COU is marked in the 80-85% band.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 190,515.
COU - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: February (92.7%) · worst: June (87.1%)
Seasonal Performance Patterns
Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: February (92.7% on-time). Most delays: June (87.1% on-time).
| Month | Avg Flights | Avg Delayed | Avg Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 310 | 79 | 4 | 87.6% |
| November | 290 | 53 | 4 | 90.4% |
| October | 320 | 52 | 6 | 92.2% |
| September | 274 | 46 | 1 | 92% |
| August | 282 | 57 | 4 | 90.7% |
| July | 308 | 73 | 2 | 89.7% |
| June | 263 | 74 | 3 | 87.1% |
| May | 275 | 50 | 4 | 91.8% |
| April | 266 | 45 | 13 | 91.7% |
| March | 270 | 45 | 7 | 91.5% |
| February | 231 | 34 | 8 | 92.7% |
| January | 232 | 48 | 10 | 89.4% |
Year-Over-Year Performance
Annual flight volume and on-time trends at COU.
COU - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
| Year | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,980 | 530 | 91 | 89.4% |
| 2024 | 3,558 | 391 | 36 | 89% |
| 2023 | 2,838 | 201 | 11 | 92.9% |
| 2022 | 3,271 | 352 | 46 | 89.2% |
| 2021 | 2,613 | 285 | 84 | 89.1% |
| 2020 | 2,675 | 126 | 122 | 95.3% |
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Columbia, MO.
Cancellation Rate
1.96%
390 of 19,935 flights
Diversion Rate
0.13%
25 of 19,935 flights
Delay Rate
19.7%
3,923 of 19,935 flights
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of flight data.
| Period | Flights | Dep Delayed | Arr Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 664 | 87 | 115 | 11 | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | 596 | 54 | 63 | 19 | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | 640 | 53 | 62 | 3 | 1 |
| Sep 2025 | 462 | 45 | 43 | 3 | 1 |
| Aug 2025 | 340 | 42 | 46 | 5 | 1 |
| Jul 2025 | 348 | 42 | 53 | 3 | 1 |
| Jun 2025 | 346 | 49 | 54 | 1 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 368 | 22 | 30 | 6 | 1 |
| Apr 2025 | 336 | 44 | 49 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 304 | 32 | 36 | 8 | 1 |
| Feb 2025 | 280 | 25 | 35 | 16 | 0 |
| Jan 2025 | 296 | 35 | 35 | 14 | 0 |
| Dec 2024 | 276 | 47 | 40 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 2024 | 270 | 31 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| Oct 2024 | 336 | 23 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 264 | 23 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2024 | 356 | 29 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2024 | 364 | 53 | 79 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 2024 | 336 | 58 | 77 | 4 | 0 |
| May 2024 | 298 | 40 | 57 | 5 | 2 |
| Apr 2024 | 244 | 17 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2024 | 294 | 24 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb 2024 | 258 | 16 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2024 | 262 | 30 | 28 | 20 | 0 |
Top Routes from COU
Busiest routes to and from Columbia, MO.
| Route | Flights | On-Time | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| COU (Columbia) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) | 5,954 | 78.6% | 490 mi |
| DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → COU (Columbia) | 5,948 | 81.1% | 490 mi |
| ORD (Chicago) → COU (Columbia) | 3,747 | 76.8% | 315 mi |
| COU (Columbia) → ORD (Chicago) | 3,737 | 80% | 315 mi |
Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate
Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Columbia, MO's 80.3%.
Other Airports in Missouri
Compare performance with other Missouri airports.
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis · 687,272 flights
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City · 524,365 flights
Springfield, MO
Springfield · 92,073 flights
Joplin, MO
Joplin · 8,632 flights
Cape Girardeau, MO
Cape Girardeau · 3,473 flights
Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Fort Leonard Wood · 1,262 flights
Branson, MO
Branson · 363 flights
Keep exploring
More flight data around Columbia, MO.
Missouri flight data
Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Missouri.
View MO data →Airport rankings
See where COU sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.
Best on-time airports →Compare airports
Put COU head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.
Open comparison tool →What the Data Says About COU
Columbia, MO in Columbia, Missouri handled 19,935 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 80.3% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 3,923 experienced delays, 390 were cancelled, and 25 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.96%, the diversion rate to 0.13%, and the average delay when departures run late is 86.5 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing COU against other airports in the same state and nationally.
Breaking down what drives delays at COU, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 38.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 33.8% and Weather at 16.2%. Weather contributes 16.2% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.0%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.
Seasonally, February runs the cleanest at COU with a 92.7% on-time rate, while June is the roughest at 87.1% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 320. The busiest route connecting COU is to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth), with 5,954 flights at a 78.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 80.3% on-time, 86.5-minute average delay, 1.96% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Columbia, MO.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the on-time performance rate at Columbia, MO (COU)? ▼
What is the most common cause of delays at COU? ▼
What is the average delay time at COU? ▼
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How many routes operate from COU? ▼
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Flight Guides
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Using COU's data
An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.
- Check the busiest route from COU before you book a connection. See top routes
- Travel in February rather than June 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.
Related
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025
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.