Roanoke, VA

What the Data Says About ROA

Roanoke, VA in Roanoke, Virginia handled 25,454 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.2% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 4,278 experienced delays, 352 were cancelled, and 17 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.38%, the diversion rate to 0.07%, and the average delay when departures run late is 87.3 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing ROA against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at ROA, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 43.6% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 33.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 16.0%. Weather contributes 6.6% 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, September runs the cleanest at ROA with a 94% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 88.8% — a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 412. The busiest route from ROA is to ROA (Roanoke), with 5,601 flights at a 88.1% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83.2% on-time, 87.3-minute average delay, 1.38% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Roanoke, VA.