Airport · IAD · Washington, Virginia
Washington, DC
Washington, DC posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 618,145 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 84.1%
- On-time
- Top 43%
- on-time, US airports
- 81 min
- Delay when late
- 1.05%
- Cancelled
Key Performance Metrics
Total Flights
618,145
Best Month
Nov 94.3%
Worst Month
Jul 87.9%
Delayed
98,139
Cancelled
6,473
IAD on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Where IAD sits among all 382 tracked airports
IAD's 84.1% on-time rate falls in the 80-85% band, the 192-airport band it shares.
National on-time-rate distribution
- 60-65% 1
1 airport between 60% and 65% on-time
1 airports
- 65-70% 4
4 airports between 65% and 70% on-time
4 airports
- 70-75% 9
9 airports between 70% and 75% on-time
9 airports
- 75-80% 48
48 airports between 75% and 80% on-time
48 airports
- 80-85%
192 airports between 80% and 85% on-time
192 airports
- 85-90%
116 airports between 85% and 90% on-time
116 airports
- 90-95% 12
12 airports between 90% and 95% on-time
12 airports
What this shows IAD is marked in the 80-85% band.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 3,982,149.
IAD - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (94.3%) · worst: July (87.9%)
Seasonal Performance Patterns
Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: November (94.3% on-time). Most delays: July (87.9% on-time).
| Month | Avg Flights | Avg Delayed | Avg Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 8,765 | 1,550 | 62 | 90.9% |
| November | 8,700 | 1,013 | 28 | 94.3% |
| October | 9,332 | 1,106 | 25 | 94.2% |
| September | 8,737 | 1,068 | 40 | 94.1% |
| August | 9,390 | 1,799 | 82 | 90.3% |
| July | 9,127 | 2,137 | 100 | 87.9% |
| June | 8,148 | 1,691 | 70 | 89.5% |
| May | 8,173 | 1,376 | 44 | 91.8% |
| April | 8,102 | 1,087 | 200 | 93.4% |
| March | 8,948 | 1,201 | 206 | 93.5% |
| February | 7,521 | 1,047 | 62 | 93.4% |
| January | 8,081 | 1,282 | 160 | 92.1% |
Year-Over-Year Performance
Annual flight volume and on-time trends at IAD.
IAD - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
| Year | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 115,026 | 10,161 | 612 | 91.2% |
| 2024 | 105,786 | 8,358 | 716 | 92.1% |
| 2023 | 99,619 | 8,574 | 573 | 91.4% |
| 2022 | 113,325 | 10,384 | 1,384 | 90.8% |
| 2021 | 101,075 | 7,888 | 747 | 92.2% |
| 2020 | 83,314 | 3,425 | 2,441 | 95.9% |
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Washington, DC.
Cancellation Rate
1.05%
6,473 of 618,145 flights
Diversion Rate
0.11%
677 of 618,145 flights
Delay Rate
15.9%
98,139 of 618,145 flights
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of flight data.
| Period | Flights | Dep Delayed | Arr Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 9,325 | 1,001 | 938 | 33 | 13 |
| Nov 2025 | 9,146 | 687 | 738 | 67 | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | 9,704 | 605 | 709 | 13 | 9 |
| Sep 2025 | 9,626 | 542 | 583 | 13 | 9 |
| Aug 2025 | 10,401 | 871 | 1,001 | 41 | 19 |
| Jul 2025 | 10,492 | 1,475 | 1,454 | 151 | 24 |
| Jun 2025 | 10,543 | 1,369 | 1,312 | 59 | 16 |
| May 2025 | 10,989 | 1,059 | 1,137 | 33 | 12 |
| Apr 2025 | 10,066 | 638 | 736 | 19 | 12 |
| Mar 2025 | 9,232 | 651 | 738 | 20 | 6 |
| Feb 2025 | 7,486 | 540 | 617 | 37 | 7 |
| Jan 2025 | 8,016 | 723 | 718 | 126 | 10 |
| Dec 2024 | 8,957 | 870 | 840 | 14 | 14 |
| Nov 2024 | 9,334 | 525 | 501 | 16 | 9 |
| Oct 2024 | 9,325 | 434 | 445 | 31 | 4 |
| Sep 2024 | 8,627 | 482 | 507 | 22 | 6 |
| Aug 2024 | 9,158 | 1,000 | 887 | 132 | 9 |
| Jul 2024 | 9,384 | 1,101 | 1,066 | 103 | 13 |
| Jun 2024 | 9,037 | 808 | 798 | 47 | 8 |
| May 2024 | 9,295 | 821 | 896 | 26 | 15 |
| Apr 2024 | 8,612 | 637 | 624 | 19 | 10 |
| Mar 2024 | 8,558 | 660 | 722 | 11 | 7 |
| Feb 2024 | 7,523 | 339 | 450 | 13 | 4 |
| Jan 2024 | 7,976 | 681 | 748 | 282 | 5 |
Top Routes from IAD
Busiest routes to and from Washington, DC.
Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate
Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Washington, DC's 84.1%.
Other Airports in Virginia
Compare performance with other Virginia airports.
Washington, DC
Washington · 1,425,060 flights
Norfolk, VA
Norfolk · 231,501 flights
Richmond, VA
Richmond · 203,348 flights
Charlottesville, VA
Charlottesville · 31,578 flights
Roanoke, VA
Roanoke · 25,454 flights
Newport News/Williamsburg, VA
Newport News/Williamsburg · 4,730 flights
Staunton, VA
Staunton · 4,017 flights
Lynchburg, VA
Lynchburg · 2,116 flights
Keep exploring
More flight data around Washington, DC.
Virginia flight data
Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Virginia.
View VA data →Airport rankings
See where IAD sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.
Best on-time airports →Compare airports
Put IAD head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.
Open comparison tool →What the Data Says About IAD
Washington, DC in Washington, Virginia handled 618,145 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 84.1% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 98,139 experienced delays, 6,473 were cancelled, and 677 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.05%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 81.3 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing IAD against other airports in the same state and nationally.
Breaking down what drives delays at IAD, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 37.9% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 30.2% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 22.4%. Weather contributes 9.5% 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, November runs the cleanest at IAD with a 94.3% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 87.9% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in August, when average flights hit 9,390. The busiest route connecting IAD is to ATL (Atlanta), with 20,387 flights at a 84.2% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 84.1% on-time, 81.3-minute average delay, 1.05% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Washington, DC.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Flight Guides
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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using IAD's data
An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.
- Check the busiest route from IAD before you book a connection. See top routes
- Travel in November rather than July 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.
Related
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025
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.