Airport · SDF · Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, KY

Louisville, KY 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 252,784 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

82.8%
On-time: Top 57%
on-time, US airports: 79 min
Delay when late: 1.24%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

252,784

Best Month

Sep 94%

Worst Month

Jul 89.7%

Delayed

43,419

Cancelled

3,127

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 1,631,141.

Late Aircraft 33.8% (551,823 min)

Carrier 38.1% (621,589 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 21.6% (352,016 min)

Weather 6.3% (103,050 min)

Security 0.2% (2,663 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (94% on-time). Most delays: July (89.7% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	3,332	604	33	91.7%
November	3,447	461	17	93.9%
October	3,792	520	15	93.7%
September	3,553	463	15	94%
August	3,762	700	38	92%
July	3,850	938	45	89.7%
June	3,617	823	36	90%
May	3,526	677	29	91%
April	3,326	507	117	93.2%
March	3,632	544	76	93.4%
February	3,041	460	46	93.1%
January	3,253	540	55	92.3%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at SDF.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	46,076	4,121	466	91.1%
2024	48,244	3,884	259	91.9%
2023	46,758	3,538	298	92.4%
2022	43,208	3,787	695	91.2%
2021	37,959	3,005	354	92.1%
2020	30,539	1,117	1,055	96.3%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Louisville, KY.

Cancellation Rate

1.24%

3,127 of 252,784 flights

Diversion Rate

0.12%

294 of 252,784 flights

Delay Rate

17.2%

43,419 of 252,784 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	3,370	384	495	31	1
Nov 2025	3,463	301	347	65	0
Oct 2025	4,177	334	388	12	4
Sep 2025	3,857	246	258	14	4
Aug 2025	4,123	327	429	28	9
Jul 2025	4,350	486	639	56	7
Jun 2025	4,230	485	645	50	7
May 2025	4,248	444	515	25	4
Apr 2025	3,897	331	402	27	6
Mar 2025	3,809	267	370	22	1
Feb 2025	3,149	250	336	29	6
Jan 2025	3,403	266	294	107	6
Dec 2024	3,621	299	366	8	5
Nov 2024	3,806	205	255	1	5
Oct 2024	4,359	204	249	16	1
Sep 2024	4,048	265	303	9	2
Aug 2024	4,113	350	498	48	7
Jul 2024	4,365	529	721	58	9
Jun 2024	4,315	384	535	23	8
May 2024	4,591	521	605	33	7
Apr 2024	4,097	295	377	10	5
Mar 2024	4,050	316	403	9	0
Feb 2024	3,370	179	235	7	1
Jan 2024	3,509	337	404	37	4

Top Routes from SDF

Busiest routes to and from Louisville, KY.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
SDF (Louisville) → ATL (Atlanta)	16,538	89.5%	321 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → SDF (Louisville)	16,535	86.5%	321 mi
SDF (Louisville) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	11,294	78.2%	733 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → SDF (Louisville)	11,290	75.7%	733 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → SDF (Louisville)	11,247	80.2%	335 mi
SDF (Louisville) → CLT (Charlotte)	11,237	82.5%	335 mi
ORD (Chicago) → SDF (Louisville)	10,886	82%	286 mi
SDF (Louisville) → ORD (Chicago)	10,855	83.6%	286 mi
LGA (New York) → SDF (Louisville)	7,086	85.5%	659 mi
SDF (Louisville) → LGA (New York)	7,086	85.6%	659 mi
SDF (Louisville) → DTW (Detroit)	6,389	87.3%	306 mi
DTW (Detroit) → SDF (Louisville)	6,360	84.6%	306 mi
DEN (Denver) → SDF (Louisville)	5,952	72.9%	1,024 mi
SDF (Louisville) → DEN (Denver)	5,950	83.6%	1,024 mi
MDW (Chicago) → SDF (Louisville)	5,803	79.3%	271 mi
SDF (Louisville) → MDW (Chicago)	5,739	87.3%	271 mi
SDF (Louisville) → DCA (Washington)	5,136	84%	474 mi
DCA (Washington) → SDF (Louisville)	5,135	82.1%	474 mi
MCO (Orlando) → SDF (Louisville)	4,894	75.6%	719 mi
SDF (Louisville) → MCO (Orlando)	4,859	80.4%	719 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Louisville, KY's 82.8%.

Los Angeles, CA

82.8% on-time 2,137,032 flights

Columbus, OH

82.8% on-time 450,603 flights

Harrisburg, PA

82.8% on-time 60,271 flights

Springfield, IL

82.8% on-time 8,116 flights

Sacramento, CA

82.7% on-time 592,833 flights

Indianapolis, IN

82.7% on-time 495,575 flights

Other Airports in Kentucky

Compare performance with other Kentucky airports.

CVG 82.1%

Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati · 423,583 flights

LEX 83.6%

Lexington, KY

Lexington · 91,507 flights

PAH 88.2%

Paducah, KY

Paducah · 4,333 flights

OWB 79%

Owensboro, KY

Owensboro · 662 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Louisville, KY.

Kentucky flight data

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

View KY data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About SDF

Louisville, KY in Louisville, Kentucky handled 252,784 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82.8% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 43,419 experienced delays, 3,127 were cancelled, and 294 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.24%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 78.6 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing SDF against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at SDF, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 38.1% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 33.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 21.6%. Weather contributes 6.3% 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 SDF with a 94% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 89.7% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 3,850. The busiest route connecting SDF is to ATL (Atlanta), with 16,538 flights at a 89.5% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 82.8% on-time, 78.6-minute average delay, 1.24% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Louisville, KY.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Louisville, KY (SDF)? ▼

Louisville, KY has an overall on-time departure rate of 82.8%. Out of 252,784 total flights tracked, 43,419 experienced delays and 3,127 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Louisville, KY is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 38.1% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at SDF? ▼

The average delay at Louisville, KY is 78.6 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 SDF? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at SDF with 94% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at SDF? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at SDF, with an on-time rate of only 89.7%.

How many routes operate from SDF? ▼

Louisville, KY serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is SDF to ATL (Louisville - Atlanta) with 16,538 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at SDF? ▼

Louisville, KY has a cancellation rate of 1.24%, based on 3,127 cancelled flights out of 252,784 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

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

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

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 SDF's data

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

Check the busiest route from SDF 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.