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Airport · DCA · Washington, Virginia

Washington, DC

Washington, DC posts bottom-quartile 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 1,425,060 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.8%
On-time
Top 79%
on-time, US airports
80 min
Delay when late
1.52%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

1,425,060

Best Month

Oct 92.7%

Worst Month

Jul 87.5%

Delayed

274,313

Cancelled

21,697

DCA on-time rate vs. the national average

Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.

0%100%U.S. average79%80.8%

Where DCA sits among all 382 tracked airports

DCA's 80.8% on-time rate falls in the 80-85% band, the 192-airport band it shares.

National on-time-rate distribution

airports

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 10,144,484.

Late Aircraft 46.4% (4,712,038 min)
Carrier 28.7% (2,915,498 min)
NAS (National Aviation System) 19.7% (1,996,009 min)
Weather 5.0% (505,508 min)
Security 0.2% (15,431 min)

DCA - seasonal on-time pattern

Best: October (92.7%) · worst: July (87.5%)

86%88%90%92%94% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 89.4%

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: October (92.7% on-time). Most delays: July (87.5% on-time).

Month Avg Flights Avg Delayed Avg Cancelled On-Time %
December 19,718 4,265 160 89.4%
November 20,093 3,490 108 91.8%
October 19,995 3,064 63 92.7%
September 19,193 3,060 130 92.4%
August 20,113 4,146 314 89.9%
July 20,038 5,046 458 87.5%
June 19,015 4,355 343 88.7%
May 18,894 3,872 160 90.1%
April 19,329 3,306 511 91.7%
March 21,453 3,768 478 91.6%
February 19,263 3,736 313 90.9%
January 20,407 3,610 578 91.4%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at DCA.

DCA - on-time rate by year

2020–2025, year-over-year trend.

85%90%95%100% 202020212022202320242025 95.7% 87.7% ▼ -8.4%
Year Flights Delayed Cancelled On-Time %
2025 285,060 35,184 5,501 87.7%
2024 280,031 27,032 2,222 90.3%
2023 280,015 23,665 2,117 91.5%
2022 284,622 29,786 5,617 89.5%
2021 164,474 11,673 1,201 92.9%
2020 130,858 5,569 5,039 95.7%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Washington, DC.

Cancellation Rate

1.52%

21,697 of 1,425,060 flights

Diversion Rate

0.12%

1,652 of 1,425,060 flights

Delay Rate

19.2%

274,313 of 1,425,060 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period Flights Dep Delayed Arr Delayed Cancelled Diverted
Dec 2025 22,618 3,428 3,467 258 18
Nov 2025 23,179 2,939 3,433 352 26
Oct 2025 24,571 2,599 3,009 76 10
Sep 2025 23,644 2,375 2,681 97 17
Aug 2025 24,197 2,638 2,849 256 35
Jul 2025 24,386 3,698 3,677 1,160 53
Jun 2025 23,775 3,605 3,739 698 39
May 2025 24,504 3,120 3,509 310 36
Apr 2025 24,069 2,432 2,712 107 25
Mar 2025 24,674 2,739 3,167 279 30
Feb 2025 21,969 3,405 4,157 811 14
Jan 2025 23,474 2,206 2,285 1,097 18
Dec 2024 22,686 2,741 2,795 95 29
Nov 2024 23,091 1,546 1,625 17 9
Oct 2024 24,071 1,495 1,548 83 14
Sep 2024 23,093 1,554 1,715 86 21
Aug 2024 23,747 2,835 2,984 452 30
Jul 2024 23,896 3,332 3,346 390 47
Jun 2024 22,918 2,443 2,513 174 51
May 2024 23,931 2,890 3,162 100 41
Apr 2024 23,088 2,127 2,305 74 29
Mar 2024 23,941 2,115 2,173 52 20
Feb 2024 22,596 1,502 1,726 45 15
Jan 2024 22,973 2,452 2,619 654 21

Top Routes from DCA

Busiest routes to and from Washington, DC.

Route Flights On-Time Distance
BOS (Boston) → DCA (Washington) 49,205 81.6% 399 mi
DCA (Washington) → BOS (Boston) 49,133 80.5% 399 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → DCA (Washington) 35,757 79.9% 547 mi
DCA (Washington) → ATL (Atlanta) 35,728 83.9% 547 mi
ORD (Chicago) → DCA (Washington) 33,643 79% 612 mi
DCA (Washington) → ORD (Chicago) 33,634 83.8% 612 mi
DCA (Washington) → LGA (New York) 28,869 80% 214 mi
LGA (New York) → DCA (Washington) 28,793 82.8% 214 mi
DCA (Washington) → MCO (Orlando) 22,407 78.9% 759 mi
MCO (Orlando) → DCA (Washington) 22,358 74.8% 759 mi
DCA (Washington) → BNA (Nashville) 19,093 82.3% 562 mi
BNA (Nashville) → DCA (Washington) 19,060 81.7% 562 mi
MIA (Miami) → DCA (Washington) 18,953 77.5% 919 mi
DCA (Washington) → MIA (Miami) 18,948 79.4% 919 mi
DCA (Washington) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) 17,803 82% 1,192 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → DCA (Washington) 17,801 78.6% 1,192 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → DCA (Washington) 17,255 76.9% 331 mi
DCA (Washington) → CLT (Charlotte) 17,252 82.2% 331 mi
DCA (Washington) → DTW (Detroit) 14,880 84.9% 405 mi
DTW (Detroit) → DCA (Washington) 14,879 82.7% 405 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Washington, DC's 80.8%.

Nashville, TN

80.8% on-time 1,046,597 flights

San Diego, CA

80.8% on-time 973,807 flights

Hancock/Houghton, MI

80.8% on-time 8,698 flights

Toledo, OH

80.8% on-time 7,268 flights

Hartford, CT

80.7% on-time 253,617 flights

Jackson, WY

80.7% on-time 64,902 flights

Other Airports in Virginia

Compare performance with other Virginia airports.

IAD 84.1%

Washington, DC

Washington · 618,145 flights
ORF 81.6%

Norfolk, VA

Norfolk · 231,501 flights
RIC 81.6%

Richmond, VA

Richmond · 203,348 flights
CHO 85.5%

Charlottesville, VA

Charlottesville · 31,578 flights
ROA 83.2%

Roanoke, VA

Roanoke · 25,454 flights
PHF 88.1%

Newport News/Williamsburg, VA

Newport News/Williamsburg · 4,730 flights
SHD 84.7%

Staunton, VA

Staunton · 4,017 flights
LYH 86.5%

Lynchburg, VA

Lynchburg · 2,116 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Washington, DC.

Virginia flight data

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

View VA data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About DCA

Washington, DC in Washington, Virginia handled 1,425,060 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 80.8% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 274,313 experienced delays, 21,697 were cancelled, and 1,652 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.52%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 79.6 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing DCA against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at DCA, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 46.4% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 28.7% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 19.7%. Weather contributes 5.0% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. 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 DCA with a 92.7% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 87.5% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 21,453. The busiest route connecting DCA is to BOS (Boston), with 49,205 flights at a 81.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 80.8% on-time, 79.6-minute average delay, 1.52% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Washington, DC.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Washington, DC (DCA)? ▼
Washington, DC has an overall on-time departure rate of 80.8%. Out of 1,425,060 total flights tracked, 274,313 experienced delays and 21,697 were cancelled.
What is the most common cause of delays at DCA? ▼
The top delay cause at Washington, DC is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 46.4% of all delay minutes.
What is the average delay time at DCA? ▼
The average delay at Washington, DC is 79.6 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 DCA? ▼
Based on historical data, October has the best on-time performance at DCA with 92.7% of flights departing on time.
What is the worst month for delays at DCA? ▼
July tends to have the most delays at DCA, with an on-time rate of only 87.5%.
How many routes operate from DCA? ▼
Washington, DC serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is BOS to DCA (Boston - Washington) with 49,205 flights.
What is the cancellation rate at DCA? ▼
Washington, DC has a cancellation rate of 1.52%, based on 21,697 cancelled flights out of 1,425,060 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 DCA's data

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

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

Related

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

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.