Airport · FSD · Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, SD posts below-median 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 83,262 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.6%
On-time: Top 71%
on-time, US airports: 85 min
Delay when late: 1.29%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

83,262

Best Month

Apr 94%

Worst Month

Dec 88.7%

Delayed

15,354

Cancelled

1,075

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 669,228.

Late Aircraft 31.3% (209,216 min)

Carrier 37.6% (251,522 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 17.4% (116,404 min)

Weather 13.4% (89,885 min)

Security 0.3% (2,201 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: April (94% on-time). Most delays: December (88.7% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	1,226	273	27	88.7%
November	1,141	182	8	92.1%
October	1,236	187	5	93%
September	1,091	158	2	93.3%
August	1,110	239	9	90.2%
July	1,175	296	10	88.7%
June	1,125	252	6	90.1%
May	1,128	187	13	92.9%
April	1,139	161	38	94%
March	1,262	199	26	93%
February	1,106	197	14	91.3%
January	1,140	228	23	90.3%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at FSD.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	14,797	1,574	109	89.4%
2024	14,066	1,241	90	91.2%
2023	13,650	1,171	108	91.4%
2022	14,465	1,339	176	90.7%
2021	15,284	1,246	154	91.8%
2020	11,000	544	438	95.1%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Sioux Falls, SD.

Cancellation Rate

1.29%

1,075 of 83,262 flights

Diversion Rate

0.10%

80 of 83,262 flights

Delay Rate

18.4%

15,354 of 83,262 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	1,374	243	254	16	2
Nov 2025	1,308	127	143	33	2
Oct 2025	1,363	108	133	2	2
Sep 2025	1,134	102	132	5	2
Aug 2025	1,178	141	170	9	4
Jul 2025	1,290	188	216	11	5
Jun 2025	1,286	157	205	6	2
May 2025	1,336	120	148	6	4
Apr 2025	1,208	95	129	6	4
Mar 2025	1,184	97	122	6	0
Feb 2025	1,038	103	112	2	1
Jan 2025	1,098	93	107	7	3
Dec 2024	1,324	145	146	22	1
Nov 2024	1,223	101	97	4	0
Oct 2024	1,238	73	78	4	0
Sep 2024	1,096	69	75	0	0
Aug 2024	1,084	113	139	5	1
Jul 2024	1,112	141	171	17	1
Jun 2024	1,143	144	177	1	1
May 2024	1,144	86	161	5	1
Apr 2024	1,196	62	98	2	1
Mar 2024	1,210	70	108	4	0
Feb 2024	1,156	92	90	4	1
Jan 2024	1,140	145	128	22	0

Top Routes from FSD

Busiest routes to and from Sioux Falls, SD.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
MSP (Minneapolis) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	9,046	85.7%	196 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → MSP (Minneapolis)	9,045	86.7%	196 mi
DEN (Denver) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	8,756	80.2%	483 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → DEN (Denver)	8,751	80.9%	483 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → ORD (Chicago)	7,573	80.6%	462 mi
ORD (Chicago) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	7,571	77.2%	462 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	5,438	72.9%	737 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	5,433	77.5%	737 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → PHX (Phoenix)	2,222	81.3%	1,081 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	2,189	80.6%	1,081 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	1,567	78%	954 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → ATL (Atlanta)	1,536	83.2%	954 mi
AZA (Phoenix) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	870	84%	1,072 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → AZA (Phoenix)	870	76.3%	1,072 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → FSD (Sioux Falls)	580	86.2%	1,021 mi
FSD (Sioux Falls) → CLT (Charlotte)	580	90.7%	1,021 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Sioux Falls, SD's 81.6%.

Houston, TX

81.6% on-time 1,404,392 flights

Raleigh/Durham, NC

81.6% on-time 616,332 flights

Norfolk, VA

81.6% on-time 231,501 flights

Richmond, VA

81.6% on-time 203,348 flights

Birmingham, AL

81.5% on-time 178,467 flights

Syracuse, NY

81.5% on-time 131,663 flights

Other Airports in South Dakota

Compare performance with other South Dakota airports.

RAP 83.1%

Rapid City, SD

Rapid City · 58,593 flights

ABR 88.6%

Aberdeen, SD

Aberdeen · 8,753 flights

ATY 87.6%

Watertown, SD

Watertown · 3,061 flights

PIR 87%

Pierre, SD

Pierre · 3,006 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Sioux Falls, SD.

South Dakota flight data

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

View SD data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About FSD

Sioux Falls, SD in Sioux Falls, South Dakota handled 83,262 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 81.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 15,354 experienced delays, 1,075 were cancelled, and 80 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.29%, the diversion rate to 0.10%, and the average delay when departures run late is 85.1 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing FSD against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at FSD, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 37.6% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 31.3% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 17.4%. Weather contributes 13.4% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.3%. 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 FSD with a 94% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 88.7% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 1,262. The busiest route connecting FSD is to MSP (Minneapolis), with 9,046 flights at a 85.7% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 81.6% on-time, 85.1-minute average delay, 1.29% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Sioux Falls, SD.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Sioux Falls, SD (FSD)? ▼

Sioux Falls, SD has an overall on-time departure rate of 81.6%. Out of 83,262 total flights tracked, 15,354 experienced delays and 1,075 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at FSD? ▼

The top delay cause at Sioux Falls, SD is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 37.6% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at FSD? ▼

The average delay at Sioux Falls, SD is 85.1 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 FSD? ▼

Based on historical data, April has the best on-time performance at FSD with 94% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at FSD? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at FSD, with an on-time rate of only 88.7%.

How many routes operate from FSD? ▼

Sioux Falls, SD serves at least 16 routes. The busiest route is MSP to FSD (Minneapolis - Sioux Falls) with 9,046 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at FSD? ▼

Sioux Falls, SD has a cancellation rate of 1.29%, based on 1,075 cancelled flights out of 83,262 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

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 FSD's data

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

Check the busiest route from FSD before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in April rather than December 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.

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 Accessed 2026-07-23

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.