Tucson, AZ

What the Data Says About TUS

Tucson, AZ in Tucson, Arizona handled 200,641 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.8% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 32,454 experienced delays, 1,619 were cancelled, and 205 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.81%, the diversion rate to 0.10%, and the average delay when departures run late is 73.3 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing TUS against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at TUS, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 41.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 35.4% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 17.2%. Weather contributes 6.3% 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 TUS with a 94% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 91.7% — a 2-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 3,328. The busiest route from TUS is to TUS (Tucson), with 14,279 flights at a 85.1% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83.8% on-time, 73.3-minute average delay, 0.81% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Tucson, AZ.