Missoula, MT

What the Data Says About MSO

Missoula, MT in Missoula, Montana handled 52,758 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.9% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 8,501 experienced delays, 370 were cancelled, and 73 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.70%, the diversion rate to 0.14%, and the average delay when departures run late is 82.8 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MSO against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MSO, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 40.9% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 29.3% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 18.6%. Weather contributes 11.1% 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 MSO with a 94.6% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 89.4% — a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 1,113. The busiest route from MSO is to MSO (Missoula), with 6,617 flights at a 91% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83.9% on-time, 82.8-minute average delay, 0.70% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Missoula, MT.