According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Williston, ND (XWA) ranks #215 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Williston, ND posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
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XWA on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes: 202,451.
Late Aircraft13.4% (27,040 min)
Carrier57.1% (115,529 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)11.9% (24,161 min)
Weather17.3% (35,085 min)
Security0.3% (636 min)
XWA - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (94.4%) · worst: December (86.4%)
XWA - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
XWA - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 24.6 min · taxi-in 6.1 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
XWA's average taxi-out (24.6 min) runs longer than the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). The heaviest month in this window is January 2025 at 35.5 min; the lightest is September 2024 at 17.2 min.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Williston, ND, both outside North Dakota 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 Williston, ND is the delay mix: Carrier owns 57.1% of 202,451 delay minutes across 18,596 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 82.4% (3.4 pts above the 79% national average), with 3,282 delayed and 227 cancelled (1.22%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (13.4% late-aircraft, 57.1% carrier, 11.9% NAS, 17.3% weather, 0.3% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, XWA is strongest in September (94.4% on-time) and weakest in December (86.4%), a 8.0-point swing. Volume peaks in October (~292 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to DEN (Denver) at 80.6% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Williston, ND vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
82.4%Top 62%higher than 38% of 382 airports
Williston, ND
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.
XWA's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from XWA before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in September rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Build extra connection buffer when taxi-out spikes. January 2025 averaged 35.5 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 Williston, ND's on-time rate?
Williston, ND (XWA) has a 82.4% on-time rate across 18,596 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 3.4 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does XWA rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Williston, ND ranks #215 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 Williston, ND?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at XWA, accounting for 57.1% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 13.4% late-aircraft, 57.1% carrier, 11.9% NAS/air-traffic-control, 17.3% weather, and 0.3% security.
When is the best time to fly through Williston, ND?
September is historically XWA's strongest month at 94.4% on-time, while December is the weakest at 86.4%, a 8.0-point swing across the BTS historical record.
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