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Airport · EAR · Kearney, Nebraska

Kearney, NE

Kearney, NE posts top-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 5,971 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Data updated 2026-06-13

85.8%
On-time
Top 25%
on-time, US airports
114 min
Delay when late
1.06%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

5,971

Best Month

Mar 96.3%

Worst Month

Feb 91.9%

Delayed

845

Cancelled

63

EAR on-time rate vs. the national average

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

0%100%U.S. average79%85.8%

Where EAR sits among all 382 tracked airports

EAR's 85.8% on-time rate falls in the 85-90% band, the 116-airport band it shares.

National on-time-rate distribution

airports

What this shows EAR is marked in the 85-90% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 55,776.

Late Aircraft 25.6% (14,301 min)
Carrier 55.2% (30,771 min)
NAS (National Aviation System) 6.7% (3,714 min)
Weather 12.5% (6,962 min)
Security 0.1% (28 min)

EAR - seasonal on-time pattern

Best: March (96.3%) · worst: February (91.9%)

91%92%93%94%95%96%97% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 92.5%

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: March (96.3% on-time). Most delays: February (91.9% on-time).

Month Avg Flights Avg Delayed Avg Cancelled On-Time %
December 131 19 3 92.5%
November 126 14 1 94.3%
October 131 16 0 93.9%
September 125 15 0 94.4%
August 126 22 0 93.8%
July 125 22 0 94.2%
June 111 20 1 93.7%
May 104 13 2 95.2%
April 108 13 1 95.6%
March 136 13 3 96.3%
February 130 25 2 91.9%
January 142 22 4 93.3%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at EAR.

EAR - on-time rate by year

2020–2025, year-over-year trend.

92%93%94%95%96% 20202021202220242025 95.2% 92.8% ▼ -2.5%
Year Flights Delayed Cancelled On-Time %
2025 1,252 90 5 92.8%
2024 211 14 3 93.4%
2022 1,183 62 18 94.8%
2021 1,879 119 14 93.7%
2020 1,446 70 23 95.2%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Kearney, NE.

Cancellation Rate

1.06%

63 of 5,971 flights

Diversion Rate

0.20%

12 of 5,971 flights

Delay Rate

14.2%

845 of 5,971 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period Flights Dep Delayed Arr Delayed Cancelled Diverted
Dec 2025 108 7 6 0 0
Nov 2025 102 8 6 0 0
Oct 2025 106 8 5 0 0
Sep 2025 102 5 6 0 0
Aug 2025 108 7 19 0 2
Jul 2025 104 3 15 0 1
Jun 2025 104 7 14 0 1
May 2025 108 11 9 1 1
Apr 2025 100 9 14 2 0
Mar 2025 108 8 9 0 0
Feb 2025 96 5 10 1 0
Jan 2025 106 12 16 1 0
Dec 2024 106 10 8 1 0
Nov 2024 105 4 2 2 0
Oct 2022 107 2 3 0 0
Sep 2022 104 7 9 0 0
Aug 2022 104 6 9 0 0
Jul 2022 108 2 11 1 0
Jun 2022 102 8 15 2 1
May 2022 110 7 14 1 0
Apr 2022 106 4 8 0 0
Mar 2022 134 3 12 0 0
Feb 2022 146 13 19 2 0
Jan 2022 162 10 13 12 0

Top Routes from EAR

Busiest routes to and from Kearney, NE.

Route Flights On-Time Distance
DEN (Denver) → EAR (Kearney) 1,952 82.5% 305 mi
EAR (Kearney) → DEN (Denver) 1,949 87.4% 305 mi
EAR (Kearney) → ORD (Chicago) 520 86% 583 mi
ORD (Chicago) → EAR (Kearney) 520 86.2% 583 mi

What the Data Says About EAR

Kearney, NE in Kearney, Nebraska handled 5,971 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 85.8% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 845 experienced delays, 63 were cancelled, and 12 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.06%, the diversion rate to 0.20%, and the average delay when departures run late is 113.5 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing EAR against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at EAR, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 55.2% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 25.6% and Weather at 12.5%. Weather contributes 12.5% 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, March runs the cleanest at EAR with a 96.3% on-time rate, while February is the roughest at 91.9% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in January, when average flights hit 142. The busiest route connecting EAR is to DEN (Denver), with 1,952 flights at a 82.5% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 85.8% on-time, 113.5-minute average delay, 1.06% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Kearney, NE.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Kearney, NE (EAR)?
Kearney, NE has an overall on-time departure rate of 85.8%. Out of 5,971 total flights tracked, 845 experienced delays and 63 were cancelled.
What is the most common cause of delays at EAR?
The top delay cause at Kearney, NE is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 55.2% of all delay minutes.
What is the average delay time at EAR?
The average delay at Kearney, NE is 113.5 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 EAR?
Based on historical data, March has the best on-time performance at EAR with 96.3% of flights departing on time.
What is the worst month for delays at EAR?
February tends to have the most delays at EAR, with an on-time rate of only 91.9%.
How many routes operate from EAR?
Kearney, NE serves at least 4 routes. The busiest route is DEN to EAR (Denver - Kearney) with 1,952 flights.
What is the cancellation rate at EAR?
Kearney, NE has a cancellation rate of 1.06%, based on 63 cancelled flights out of 5,971 total flights tracked.

Explore PlainFlights

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.

Using EAR's data

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

  • Check the busiest route from EAR before you book a connection. See top routes
  • Travel in March rather than February 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.

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.