Pierre, SD

What the Data Says About PIR

Pierre, SD in Pierre, South Dakota handled 3,006 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 87% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 390 experienced delays, 48 were cancelled, and 0 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.60%, the diversion rate to 0.00%, and the average delay when departures run late is 116.7 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing PIR against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at PIR, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 66.7% of total delay minutes, followed by NAS (National Aviation System) at 13.8% and Late Aircraft at 11.3%. Weather contributes 8.2% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.0%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, April runs the cleanest at PIR with a 99% on-time rate, while February is the roughest at 91.1% — a 8-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 117. The busiest route from PIR is to PIR (Pierre), with 1,380 flights at a 84.8% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 87% on-time, 116.7-minute average delay, 1.60% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Pierre, SD.