Helena, MT

What the Data Says About HLN

Helena, MT in Helena, Montana handled 17,569 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 89.2% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 1,889 experienced delays, 116 were cancelled, and 27 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.66%, the diversion rate to 0.15%, and the average delay when departures run late is 99.0 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing HLN against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at HLN, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 51.3% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 18.2% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 15.3%. Weather contributes 15.2% 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, March runs the cleanest at HLN with a 96.6% on-time rate, while January is the roughest at 92.7% — a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in August, when average flights hit 270. The busiest route from HLN is to SLC (Salt Lake City), with 4,471 flights at a 93.5% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 89.2% on-time, 99.0-minute average delay, 0.66% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Helena, MT.