According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Tucson, AZ (TUS) ranks #72 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Tucson, AZ posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport.
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TUS on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Tucson, AZ sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Tucson, AZ handles more flight
volume than 81% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
54% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and reliable.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Tucson, AZ vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 200,641 ·
On-time rate: 83.8%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes1,066,899 min
Carrier437,101 min · 41%
Late Aircraft378,131 min · 35%
NAS (National Aviation System)183,994 min · 17%
Weather66,952 min · 6%
Security721 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
TUS - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (94%) · worst: July (91.7%)
TUS - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
TUS - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 15.5 min · taxi-in 4.7 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
TUS's average taxi-out (15.5 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 14.4 min (September 2024) to 16.5 min (May 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Tucson, AZ, both outside Arizona 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 Tucson, AZ is the delay mix: Carrier owns 41.0% of 1,066,899 delay minutes across 200,641 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 83.8% (4.8 pts above the 79% national average), with 32,454 delayed and 1,619 cancelled (0.81%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (35.4% late-aircraft, 41.0% carrier, 17.2% NAS, 6.3% weather, 0.1% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, TUS is strongest in September (94% on-time) and weakest in July (91.7%), a 2.3-point swing. Volume peaks in March (~3,328 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to PHX (Phoenix) at 85.1% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Tucson, AZ vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
83.8%Top 46%higher than 54% of 382 airports
Tucson, AZ
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.
TUS's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
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 →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 15.5 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. 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 Tucson, AZ's on-time rate?
Tucson, AZ (TUS) has a 83.8% on-time rate across 200,641 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 4.8 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does TUS rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Tucson, AZ ranks #72 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a high-volume U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Tucson, AZ?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at TUS, accounting for 41.0% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 35.4% late-aircraft, 41.0% carrier, 17.2% NAS/air-traffic-control, 6.3% weather, and 0.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Tucson, AZ?
September is historically TUS's strongest month at 94% on-time, while July is the weakest at 91.7%, a 2.3-point swing across the BTS historical record.