Hays, KS

What the Data Says About HYS

Hays, KS in Hays, Kansas handled 8,353 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 84.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 1,290 experienced delays, 98 were cancelled, and 6 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.17%, the diversion rate to 0.07%, and the average delay when departures run late is 112.4 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing HYS against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at HYS, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 39.9% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 38.0% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 11.0%. Weather contributes 11.0% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. 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 HYS with a 95.5% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 91.4% — a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in January, when average flights hit 131. The busiest route from HYS is to DEN (Denver), with 3,019 flights at a 85.4% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 84.6% on-time, 112.4-minute average delay, 1.17% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Hays, KS.