Memphis, TN

What the Data Says About MEM

Memphis, TN in Memphis, Tennessee handled 251,985 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 81.3% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 47,238 experienced delays, 3,171 were cancelled, and 287 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.26%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 76.2 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MEM against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MEM, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 38.2% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 35.7% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 19.3%. Weather contributes 6.7% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. 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 MEM with a 94.1% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 88.3% — a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 3,747. The busiest route from MEM is to ATL (Atlanta), with 19,015 flights at a 88.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 81.3% on-time, 76.2-minute average delay, 1.26% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Memphis, TN.