Des Moines, IA

What the Data Says About DSM

Des Moines, IA in Des Moines, Iowa handled 169,476 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 29,533 experienced delays, 1,950 were cancelled, and 168 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.15%, the diversion rate to 0.10%, and the average delay when departures run late is 82.0 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing DSM against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at DSM, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 41.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 31.9% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 19.0%. Weather contributes 7.9% 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, September runs the cleanest at DSM with a 94.5% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 90.3% — a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 2,559. The busiest route from DSM is to DSM (Des Moines), with 12,645 flights at a 79.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 82.6% on-time, 82.0-minute average delay, 1.15% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Des Moines, IA.