According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Norfolk, VA (ORF) ranks #65 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Norfolk, VA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport.
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ORF on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft.
Total delay minutes: 1,610,214.
Late Aircraft39.2% (631,275 min)
Carrier32.7% (526,446 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)22.1% (355,440 min)
Weather5.9% (95,760 min)
Security0.1% (1,293 min)
ORF - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (94.1%) · worst: July (87.6%)
ORF - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
ORF - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 16.5 min · taxi-in 5.6 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
ORF's average taxi-out (16.5 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 15.5 min (August 2025) to 18.3 min (January 2025).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Norfolk, VA, both outside Virginia so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Norfolk, VA is the delay mix: Late Aircraft owns 39.2% of 1,610,214 delay minutes across 231,501 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 81.6% (2.6 pts above the 79% national average), with 42,683 delayed and 3,197 cancelled (1.38%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Late Aircraft (39.2% late-aircraft, 32.7% carrier, 22.1% NAS, 5.9% weather, 0.1% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, ORF is strongest in September (94.1% on-time) and weakest in July (87.6%), a 6.5-point swing. Volume peaks in July (~3,601 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to CLT (Charlotte) at 79.1% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Norfolk, VA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
81.6%Top 71%higher than 29% of 382 airports
Norfolk, VA
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
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.
ORF's on-time book sits in the slower half of the BTS set; check the delay mix and the worst month before treating the headline as typical.
Check the busiest route from ORF before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in September rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 16.5 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Norfolk, VA's on-time rate?
Norfolk, VA (ORF) has a 81.6% on-time rate across 231,501 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 2.6 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does ORF rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Norfolk, VA ranks #65 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a high-volume U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Norfolk, VA?
Late Aircraft is the leading delay cause at ORF, accounting for 39.2% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 39.2% late-aircraft, 32.7% carrier, 22.1% NAS/air-traffic-control, 5.9% weather, and 0.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Norfolk, VA?
September is historically ORF's strongest month at 94.1% on-time, while July is the weakest at 87.6%, a 6.5-point swing across the BTS historical record.
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