According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Helena, MT (HLN) ranks #217 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Helena, MT posts top-5% on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
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HLN on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes: 110,246.
Late Aircraft18.2% (20,049 min)
Carrier51.3% (56,605 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)15.3% (16,824 min)
Weather15.2% (16,764 min)
Security0.0% (4 min)
HLN - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: March (96.6%) · worst: January (92.7%)
HLN - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
HLN - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 20.3 min · taxi-in 3.2 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
HLN's average taxi-out (20.3 min) runs longer than the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). The heaviest month in this window is February 2025 at 25.4 min; the lightest is April 2024 at 16.8 min.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Helena, MT, both outside Montana 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 Helena, MT is the delay mix: Carrier owns 51.3% of 110,246 delay minutes across 17,569 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 89.2% (10.2 pts above the 79% national average), with 1,889 delayed and 116 cancelled (0.66%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (18.2% late-aircraft, 51.3% carrier, 15.3% NAS, 15.2% weather, 0.0% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, HLN is strongest in March (96.6% on-time) and weakest in January (92.7%), a 3.9-point swing. Volume peaks in August (~270 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to SLC (Salt Lake City) at 93.5% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Helena, MT vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
89.2%Top 5%higher than 95% of 382 airports
Helena, MT
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.
HLN'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 HLN before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in March rather than January if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Build extra connection buffer when taxi-out spikes. February 2025 averaged 25.4 min. 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 Helena, MT's on-time rate?
Helena, MT (HLN) has a 89.2% on-time rate across 17,569 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 10.2 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the top-5% on-time performance.
How does HLN rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Helena, MT ranks #217 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a mid-size U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Helena, MT?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at HLN, accounting for 51.3% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 18.2% late-aircraft, 51.3% carrier, 15.3% NAS/air-traffic-control, 15.2% weather, and 0.0% security.
When is the best time to fly through Helena, MT?
March is historically HLN's strongest month at 96.6% on-time, while January is the weakest at 92.7%, a 3.9-point swing across the BTS historical record.
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