Fort Dodge, IA

What the Data Says About FOD

Fort Dodge, IA in Fort Dodge, Iowa handled 5,848 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2021 and 2025, posting a 83.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 972 experienced delays, 105 were cancelled, and 7 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.80%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 110.9 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing FOD against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at FOD, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 44.1% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 42.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 10.2%. Weather contributes 2.9% 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, April runs the cleanest at FOD with a 95.7% on-time rate, while August is the roughest at 87.9% — a 8-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in May, when average flights hit 108. The busiest route from FOD is to ORD (Chicago), with 1,785 flights at a 84.5% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83.4% on-time, 110.9-minute average delay, 1.80% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Fort Dodge, IA.