According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Columbus, MS (GTR) ranks #254 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Columbus, MS posts top-5% on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport.
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GTR on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Columbus, MS sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Columbus, MS handles more flight
volume than 34% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
97% of them, placing it in the quadrant for quiet and reliable.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Columbus, MS vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 9,419 ·
On-time rate: 89.9%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes44,726 min
Carrier17,108 min · 38%
Late Aircraft14,789 min · 33%
Weather6,988 min · 16%
NAS (National Aviation System)5,820 min · 13%
Security21 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
GTR - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (97.3%) · worst: July (92.6%)
GTR - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
GTR - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 16.5 min · taxi-in 3.7 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
GTR's average taxi-out (16.5 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 13.0 min (December 2023) to 21.8 min (December 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Columbus, MS, both outside Mississippi so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Columbus, MS is on-time standing: 89.9% (10.9 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; roughly the top-5% on-time performance) across 9,419 BTS flights (2020–2025). When a departure runs late, the average delay is 87.7 minutes; cancellations run 0.48%.
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (33.1% late-aircraft, 38.3% carrier, 13.0% NAS, 15.6% weather, 0.0% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, GTR is strongest in November (97.3% on-time) and weakest in July (92.6%), a 4.7-point swing. Volume peaks in January (~174 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to ATL (Atlanta) at 90.7% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Columbus, MS vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
89.9%Top 3%higher than 97% of 382 airports
Columbus, MS
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
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.
GTR's on-time book is stronger than most peers; the remaining risk sits in the delay mix, not a weak headline rate.
Check the busiest route from GTR before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in November rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 16.5 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Columbus, MS's on-time rate?
Columbus, MS (GTR) has a 89.9% on-time rate across 9,419 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 10.9 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the top-5% on-time performance.
How does GTR rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Columbus, MS ranks #254 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a smaller regional airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Columbus, MS?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at GTR, accounting for 38.3% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 33.1% late-aircraft, 38.3% carrier, 13.0% NAS/air-traffic-control, 15.6% weather, and 0.0% security.
When is the best time to fly through Columbus, MS?
November is historically GTR's strongest month at 97.3% on-time, while July is the weakest at 92.6%, a 4.7-point swing across the BTS historical record.