Airport · RIC · Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, VA

Richmond, VA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 203,348 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.6%
On-time: Top 71%
on-time, US airports: 76 min
Delay when late: 1.31%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

203,348

Best Month

Sep 93.7%

Worst Month

Jul 88.3%

Delayed

37,432

Cancelled

2,671

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows RIC is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 1,339,913.

Late Aircraft 35.7% (479,007 min)

Carrier 34.8% (465,684 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 25.1% (335,781 min)

Weather 4.2% (56,113 min)

Security 0.2% (3,328 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (93.7% on-time). Most delays: July (88.3% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	2,852	607	22	89.9%
November	2,896	433	16	92.9%
October	2,974	444	13	93.1%
September	2,760	398	14	93.7%
August	2,882	608	37	90.7%
July	2,944	772	46	88.3%
June	2,784	659	38	89.3%
May	2,747	529	26	91.3%
April	2,640	448	81	92.2%
March	3,010	460	80	93.1%
February	2,618	411	31	93.3%
January	2,786	470	41	92.5%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at RIC.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	35,757	3,738	373	89.5%
2024	36,557	3,452	249	90.6%
2023	37,552	3,351	306	91.1%
2022	37,705	3,138	624	91.7%
2021	30,275	2,179	234	92.8%
2020	25,502	1,050	885	95.9%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Richmond, VA.

Cancellation Rate

1.31%

2,671 of 203,348 flights

Diversion Rate

0.10%

213 of 203,348 flights

Delay Rate

18.4%

37,432 of 203,348 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	3,231	441	503	42	2
Nov 2025	3,297	303	350	58	2
Oct 2025	3,384	359	408	17	2
Sep 2025	2,975	240	282	8	1
Aug 2025	3,086	328	380	21	8
Jul 2025	3,388	487	578	70	13
Jun 2025	3,300	421	553	44	5
May 2025	3,191	340	388	19	6
Apr 2025	2,672	241	297	10	1
Mar 2025	2,629	222	289	11	1
Feb 2025	2,203	174	227	30	1
Jan 2025	2,401	182	219	43	2
Dec 2024	3,043	343	354	9	3
Nov 2024	2,943	181	195	1	1
Oct 2024	3,204	161	224	6	0
Sep 2024	2,937	173	237	5	0
Aug 2024	3,090	337	444	56	3
Jul 2024	3,245	472	575	68	8
Jun 2024	3,263	365	419	31	7
May 2024	3,556	403	473	22	6
Apr 2024	3,140	292	329	10	4
Mar 2024	2,902	284	332	12	2
Feb 2024	2,572	185	248	10	3
Jan 2024	2,662	256	333	19	3

Top Routes from RIC

Busiest routes to and from Richmond, VA.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
ATL (Atlanta) → RIC (Richmond)	18,202	83.4%	481 mi
RIC (Richmond) → ATL (Atlanta)	18,198	88.4%	481 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → RIC (Richmond)	14,584	78.9%	257 mi
RIC (Richmond) → CLT (Charlotte)	14,581	83%	257 mi
LGA (New York) → RIC (Richmond)	11,066	84%	292 mi
RIC (Richmond) → LGA (New York)	11,064	81.9%	292 mi
BOS (Boston) → RIC (Richmond)	8,963	80.9%	474 mi
RIC (Richmond) → BOS (Boston)	8,961	82.6%	474 mi
RIC (Richmond) → ORD (Chicago)	6,126	83%	642 mi
ORD (Chicago) → RIC (Richmond)	6,028	78.3%	642 mi
RIC (Richmond) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	5,404	78.2%	1,158 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → RIC (Richmond)	5,401	76.4%	1,158 mi
DTW (Detroit) → RIC (Richmond)	4,954	84.5%	456 mi
RIC (Richmond) → DTW (Detroit)	4,952	86%	456 mi
RIC (Richmond) → MCO (Orlando)	4,874	72.1%	667 mi
MCO (Orlando) → RIC (Richmond)	4,873	74.5%	667 mi
RIC (Richmond) → JFK (New York)	4,633	85.5%	288 mi
JFK (New York) → RIC (Richmond)	4,630	84.3%	288 mi
FLL (Fort Lauderdale) → RIC (Richmond)	4,311	71.5%	805 mi
RIC (Richmond) → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)	4,309	80.9%	805 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Richmond, VA's 81.6%.

Houston, TX

81.6% on-time 1,404,392 flights

Raleigh/Durham, NC

81.6% on-time 616,332 flights

Norfolk, VA

81.6% on-time 231,501 flights

Sioux Falls, SD

81.6% on-time 83,262 flights

Birmingham, AL

81.5% on-time 178,467 flights

Syracuse, NY

81.5% on-time 131,663 flights

Other Airports in Virginia

Compare performance with other Virginia airports.

DCA 80.8%

Washington, DC

Washington · 1,425,060 flights

IAD 84.1%

Washington, DC

Washington · 618,145 flights

ORF 81.6%

Norfolk, VA

Norfolk · 231,501 flights

CHO 85.5%

Charlottesville, VA

Charlottesville · 31,578 flights

ROA 83.2%

Roanoke, VA

Roanoke · 25,454 flights

PHF 88.1%

Newport News/Williamsburg, VA

Newport News/Williamsburg · 4,730 flights

SHD 84.7%

Staunton, VA

Staunton · 4,017 flights

LYH 86.5%

Lynchburg, VA

Lynchburg · 2,116 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Richmond, VA.

Virginia flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Virginia.

View VA data →

Airport rankings

See where RIC sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put RIC head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About RIC

Richmond, VA in Richmond, Virginia handled 203,348 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 81.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 37,432 experienced delays, 2,671 were cancelled, and 213 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.31%, the diversion rate to 0.10%, and the average delay when departures run late is 75.7 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing RIC against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at RIC, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 35.7% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 34.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 25.1%. Weather contributes 4.2% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at RIC with a 93.7% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 88.3% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 3,010. The busiest route connecting RIC is to ATL (Atlanta), with 18,202 flights at a 83.4% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 81.6% on-time, 75.7-minute average delay, 1.31% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Richmond, VA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Richmond, VA (RIC)? ▼

Richmond, VA has an overall on-time departure rate of 81.6%. Out of 203,348 total flights tracked, 37,432 experienced delays and 2,671 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at RIC? ▼

The top delay cause at Richmond, VA is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 35.7% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at RIC? ▼

The average delay at Richmond, VA is 75.7 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from RIC? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at RIC with 93.7% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at RIC? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at RIC, with an on-time rate of only 88.3%.

How many routes operate from RIC? ▼

Richmond, VA serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is ATL to RIC (Atlanta - Richmond) with 18,202 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at RIC? ▼

Richmond, VA has a cancellation rate of 1.31%, based on 2,671 cancelled flights out of 203,348 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

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Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using RIC's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from RIC before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

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 Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.