Minneapolis, MN

What the Data Says About MSP

Minneapolis, MN in Minneapolis, Minnesota handled 1,406,487 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 85.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 205,954 experienced delays, 11,052 were cancelled, and 1,556 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.79%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 79.5 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MSP against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MSP, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 50.7% of total delay minutes, followed by NAS (National Aviation System) at 20.3% and Late Aircraft at 18.3%. Weather contributes 10.6% 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, October runs the cleanest at MSP with a 94.8% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 90.2% — a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in August, when average flights hit 21,573. The busiest route from MSP is to MSP (Minneapolis), with 32,213 flights at a 79.9% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 85.4% on-time, 79.5-minute average delay, 0.79% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Minneapolis, MN.