Airport · TUS · Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ posts above-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 200,641 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

83.8%
On-time: Top 46%
on-time, US airports: 73 min
Delay when late: 0.81%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

200,641

Best Month

Sep 94%

Worst Month

Jul 91.7%

Delayed

32,454

Cancelled

1,619

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 1,066,899.

Late Aircraft 35.4% (378,131 min)

Carrier 41.0% (437,101 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 17.2% (183,994 min)

Weather 6.3% (66,952 min)

Security 0.1% (721 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (94% on-time). Most delays: July (91.7% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	3,067	521	26	92.6%
November	2,926	399	14	93.9%
October	2,842	435	11	93.1%
September	2,477	348	5	94%
August	2,513	444	14	92.7%
July	2,531	504	13	91.7%
June	2,404	463	13	91.7%
May	2,632	463	13	91.9%
April	2,852	418	58	93.6%
March	3,328	519	58	93.4%
February	2,829	438	17	93.3%
January	3,040	457	28	93.4%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at TUS.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	40,302	3,087	191	92.3%
2024	38,265	2,979	133	92.2%
2023	33,458	2,538	97	92.4%
2022	32,464	2,340	290	92.8%
2021	30,748	2,111	264	93.1%
2020	25,404	1,050	644	95.9%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Tucson, AZ.

Cancellation Rate

0.81%

1,619 of 200,641 flights

Diversion Rate

0.10%

205 of 200,641 flights

Delay Rate

16.2%

32,454 of 200,641 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	3,566	305	413	10	2
Nov 2025	3,509	249	299	44	3
Oct 2025	3,198	281	333	5	2
Sep 2025	2,744	203	260	15	0
Aug 2025	2,801	211	284	12	7
Jul 2025	2,882	262	371	13	5
Jun 2025	2,959	283	361	16	4
May 2025	3,502	291	319	10	3
Apr 2025	3,796	270	333	16	3
Mar 2025	4,102	276	409	11	8
Feb 2025	3,510	238	327	7	1
Jan 2025	3,733	218	308	32	0
Dec 2024	3,747	288	344	12	3
Nov 2024	3,476	199	288	17	5
Oct 2024	3,435	185	248	0	4
Sep 2024	3,072	166	251	0	0
Aug 2024	2,858	211	303	5	0
Jul 2024	2,784	263	331	22	2
Jun 2024	2,724	261	316	10	4
May 2024	3,278	363	441	27	4
Apr 2024	3,327	276	331	9	1
Mar 2024	3,456	280	387	12	2
Feb 2024	2,942	229	279	5	1
Jan 2024	3,166	258	344	14	1

Top Routes from TUS

Busiest routes to and from Tucson, AZ.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
PHX (Phoenix) → TUS (Tucson)	14,279	85.1%	110 mi
TUS (Tucson) → PHX (Phoenix)	14,273	85.1%	110 mi
TUS (Tucson) → DEN (Denver)	13,748	84.4%	639 mi
DEN (Denver) → TUS (Tucson)	13,698	77.6%	639 mi
TUS (Tucson) → LAX (Los Angeles)	12,838	86.6%	451 mi
LAX (Los Angeles) → TUS (Tucson)	12,831	83.4%	451 mi
TUS (Tucson) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	12,734	82.7%	813 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → TUS (Tucson)	12,733	75.6%	813 mi
SLC (Salt Lake City) → TUS (Tucson)	6,604	90.3%	601 mi
TUS (Tucson) → SLC (Salt Lake City)	6,604	93.4%	601 mi
LAS (Las Vegas) → TUS (Tucson)	6,582	78.5%	365 mi
TUS (Tucson) → LAS (Las Vegas)	6,537	85%	365 mi
SEA (Seattle) → TUS (Tucson)	5,852	82.1%	1,216 mi
TUS (Tucson) → SEA (Seattle)	5,851	83.8%	1,216 mi
TUS (Tucson) → SFO (San Francisco)	5,346	83.7%	751 mi
SFO (San Francisco) → TUS (Tucson)	5,341	85.8%	751 mi
ORD (Chicago) → TUS (Tucson)	5,014	78.9%	1,437 mi
TUS (Tucson) → ORD (Chicago)	5,012	83.9%	1,437 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → TUS (Tucson)	4,268	83.9%	1,541 mi
TUS (Tucson) → ATL (Atlanta)	4,268	91.7%	1,541 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Tucson, AZ's 83.8%.

Harlingen/San Benito, TX

83.8% on-time 44,120 flights

State College, PA

83.8% on-time 9,139 flights

Atlanta, GA

83.7% on-time 3,758,561 flights

Palm Springs, CA

83.7% on-time 159,999 flights

Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA

83.7% on-time 48,496 flights

Wilmington, NC

83.9% on-time 80,728 flights

Other Airports in Arizona

Compare performance with other Arizona airports.

PHX 81.7%

Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix · 2,030,209 flights

AZA 78.7%

Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix · 70,097 flights

FLG 85.8%

Flagstaff, AZ

Flagstaff · 22,330 flights

YUM 86.8%

Yuma, AZ

Yuma · 20,032 flights

PRC 82.5%

Prescott, AZ

Prescott · 9,056 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Tucson, AZ.

Arizona flight data

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

View AZ data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

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 connecting TUS is to PHX (Phoenix), 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Tucson, AZ (TUS)? ▼

Tucson, AZ has an overall on-time departure rate of 83.8%. Out of 200,641 total flights tracked, 32,454 experienced delays and 1,619 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Tucson, AZ is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 41.0% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at TUS? ▼

The average delay at Tucson, AZ is 73.3 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 TUS? ▼

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

What is the worst month for delays at TUS? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at TUS, with an on-time rate of only 91.7%.

How many routes operate from TUS? ▼

Tucson, AZ serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is PHX to TUS (Phoenix - Tucson) with 14,279 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at TUS? ▼

Tucson, AZ has a cancellation rate of 0.81%, based on 1,619 cancelled flights out of 200,641 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 TUS's data

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

Check the busiest route from TUS 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.