According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Santa Fe, NM (SAF) ranks #188 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Santa Fe, NM posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
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SAF on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Santa Fe, NM sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Santa Fe, NM handles more flight
volume than 51% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
33% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and delay-prone.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Santa Fe, NM vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 26,561 ·
On-time rate: 82.0%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes229,744 min
Carrier93,108 min · 41%
Late Aircraft63,175 min · 27%
Weather44,838 min · 20%
NAS (National Aviation System)28,098 min · 12%
Security525 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
SAF - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (92.7%) · worst: June (89.5%)
SAF - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
SAF - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 19.5 min · taxi-in 5.7 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
SAF's average taxi-out (19.5 min) runs longer than the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). The heaviest month in this window is January 2024 at 25.4 min; the lightest is October 2024 at 16.4 min.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Santa Fe, NM, both outside New Mexico 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 Santa Fe, NM is the delay mix: Carrier owns 40.5% of 229,744 delay minutes across 26,561 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 82% (3 pts above the 79% national average), with 4,773 delayed and 286 cancelled (1.08%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (27.5% late-aircraft, 40.5% carrier, 12.2% NAS, 19.5% weather, 0.2% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, SAF is strongest in September (92.7% on-time) and weakest in June (89.5%), a 3.2-point swing. Volume peaks in October (~478 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) at 80.7% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Santa Fe, NM vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
82%Top 67%higher than 33% of 382 airports
Santa Fe, NM
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.
SAF's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from SAF before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in September rather than June if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Build extra connection buffer when taxi-out spikes. January 2024 averaged 25.4 min. 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 Santa Fe, NM's on-time rate?
Santa Fe, NM (SAF) has a 82% on-time rate across 26,561 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 3 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does SAF rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Santa Fe, NM ranks #188 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a mid-size U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Santa Fe, NM?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at SAF, accounting for 40.5% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 27.5% late-aircraft, 40.5% carrier, 12.2% NAS/air-traffic-control, 19.5% weather, and 0.2% security.
When is the best time to fly through Santa Fe, NM?
September is historically SAF's strongest month at 92.7% on-time, while June is the weakest at 89.5%, a 3.2-point swing across the BTS historical record.