Kotzebue, AK

What the Data Says About OTZ

Kotzebue, AK in Kotzebue, Alaska handled 5,950 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 88.7% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 675 experienced delays, 164 were cancelled, and 4 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 2.76%, the diversion rate to 0.07%, and the average delay when departures run late is 59.3 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing OTZ against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at OTZ, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 80.3% of total delay minutes, followed by NAS (National Aviation System) at 8.7% and Carrier at 7.0%. Weather contributes 0.9% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 3.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, May runs the cleanest at OTZ with a 98% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 87.5% — a 11-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 94. The busiest route from OTZ is to ANC (Anchorage), with 2,558 flights at a 89.7% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 88.7% on-time, 59.3-minute average delay, 2.76% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Kotzebue, AK.