Airport · LIH · Lihue, Hawaii

Lihue, HI

Lihue, HI posts top-quartile 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 162,570 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

86.7%
On-time: Top 18%
on-time, US airports: 60 min
Delay when late: 0.78%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

162,570

Best Month

Sep 95.8%

Worst Month

Dec 92.1%

Delayed

21,670

Cancelled

1,268

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows LIH is marked in the 85-90% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 590,068.

Late Aircraft 51.6% (304,283 min)

Carrier 34.7% (204,509 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 10.7% (62,964 min)

Weather 2.6% (15,588 min)

Security 0.5% (2,724 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (95.8% on-time). Most delays: December (92.1% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	2,388	411	36	92.1%
November	2,322	265	11	94.8%
October	2,296	311	22	93.8%
September	2,183	195	6	95.8%
August	2,426	279	16	94.8%
July	2,467	338	11	93.9%
June	2,297	312	6	94%
May	2,114	266	12	94%
April	2,015	297	28	93%
March	2,328	350	36	93.2%
February	2,024	249	7	94.1%
January	2,237	341	22	92.8%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at LIH.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	31,328	1,865	152	94%
2024	31,914	1,782	148	94.4%
2023	32,295	2,536	157	92.1%
2022	30,509	2,524	182	91.7%
2021	22,425	901	87	96%
2020	14,099	355	542	97.5%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Lihue, HI.

Cancellation Rate

0.78%

1,268 of 162,570 flights

Diversion Rate

0.06%

95 of 162,570 flights

Delay Rate

13.3%

21,670 of 162,570 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	2,738	253	300	10	1
Nov 2025	2,472	138	152	25	2
Oct 2025	2,516	110	148	6	2
Sep 2025	2,457	104	126	6	2
Aug 2025	2,712	141	140	11	0
Jul 2025	2,817	198	216	19	1
Jun 2025	2,687	189	191	4	3
May 2025	2,688	89	102	7	1
Apr 2025	2,536	149	143	12	1
Mar 2025	2,710	164	162	14	2
Feb 2025	2,356	196	176	5	1
Jan 2025	2,639	134	119	33	3
Dec 2024	2,725	146	144	4	2
Nov 2024	2,555	92	97	6	3
Oct 2024	2,616	106	120	13	0
Sep 2024	2,520	99	110	7	2
Aug 2024	2,790	112	143	16	1
Jul 2024	2,910	173	182	15	1
Jun 2024	2,769	153	195	7	2
May 2024	2,692	187	203	32	0
Apr 2024	2,580	148	167	20	2
Mar 2024	2,680	126	161	7	1
Feb 2024	2,431	156	211	13	0
Jan 2024	2,646	284	335	8	3

Top Routes from LIH

Busiest routes to and from Lihue, HI.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
HNL (Honolulu) → LIH (Lihue)	42,503	87.2%	102 mi
LIH (Lihue) → HNL (Honolulu)	42,502	86%	102 mi
LIH (Lihue) → LAX (Los Angeles)	8,233	85.5%	2,615 mi
LAX (Los Angeles) → LIH (Lihue)	8,227	87.3%	2,615 mi
LIH (Lihue) → OGG (Kahului)	6,721	86.1%	201 mi
OGG (Kahului) → LIH (Lihue)	6,721	78.5%	201 mi
SEA (Seattle) → LIH (Lihue)	5,275	80.5%	2,701 mi
LIH (Lihue) → SEA (Seattle)	5,273	84.8%	2,701 mi
LIH (Lihue) → OAK (Oakland)	3,419	87.9%	2,457 mi
OAK (Oakland) → LIH (Lihue)	3,419	84.9%	2,457 mi
LIH (Lihue) → SFO (San Francisco)	3,157	91.1%	2,447 mi
SFO (San Francisco) → LIH (Lihue)	3,157	89.7%	2,447 mi
LIH (Lihue) → PHX (Phoenix)	1,940	91.8%	2,979 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → LIH (Lihue)	1,940	83.2%	2,979 mi
DEN (Denver) → LIH (Lihue)	1,682	79.3%	3,414 mi
LIH (Lihue) → DEN (Denver)	1,682	94.2%	3,414 mi
KOA (Kona) → LIH (Lihue)	1,596	92.7%	263 mi
LIH (Lihue) → KOA (Kona)	1,536	80.3%	263 mi
LIH (Lihue) → SJC (San Jose)	1,463	81.7%	2,466 mi
SJC (San Jose) → LIH (Lihue)	1,462	84.1%	2,466 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Lihue, HI's 86.7%.

College Station/Bryan, TX

86.7% on-time 15,211 flights

Medford, OR

86.8% on-time 67,186 flights

Yuma, AZ

86.8% on-time 20,032 flights

Vernal, UT

86.8% on-time 4,784 flights

Grand Forks, ND

86.6% on-time 14,798 flights

Sheridan, WY

86.6% on-time 7,839 flights

Other Airports in Hawaii

Compare performance with other Hawaii airports.

HNL 84.6%

Honolulu, HI

Honolulu · 631,778 flights

OGG 84.7%

Kahului, HI

Kahului · 304,696 flights

KOA 86.3%

Kona, HI

Kona · 177,017 flights

ITO 88.2%

Hilo, HI

Hilo · 72,372 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Lihue, HI.

Hawaii flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Hawaii.

View HI data →

Airport rankings

See where LIH sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put LIH head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About LIH

Lihue, HI in Lihue, Hawaii handled 162,570 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 86.7% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 21,670 experienced delays, 1,268 were cancelled, and 95 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.78%, the diversion rate to 0.06%, and the average delay when departures run late is 59.9 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing LIH against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at LIH, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 51.6% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 34.7% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 10.7%. Weather contributes 2.6% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.5%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at LIH with a 95.8% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 92.1% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 2,467. The busiest route connecting LIH is to HNL (Honolulu), with 42,503 flights at a 87.2% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 86.7% on-time, 59.9-minute average delay, 0.78% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Lihue, HI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Lihue, HI (LIH)? ▼

Lihue, HI has an overall on-time departure rate of 86.7%. Out of 162,570 total flights tracked, 21,670 experienced delays and 1,268 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at LIH? ▼

The top delay cause at Lihue, HI is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 51.6% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at LIH? ▼

The average delay at Lihue, HI is 59.9 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from LIH? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at LIH with 95.8% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at LIH? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at LIH, with an on-time rate of only 92.1%.

How many routes operate from LIH? ▼

Lihue, HI serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is HNL to LIH (Honolulu - Lihue) with 42,503 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at LIH? ▼

Lihue, HI has a cancellation rate of 0.78%, based on 1,268 cancelled flights out of 162,570 total flights tracked.

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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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using LIH's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from LIH before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September rather than December 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.

All airports → | Rankings →

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 Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

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.