Route · DCA → ILM · 2020–2025 BTS data
Washington to Wilmington
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DCA to ILM (Washington to Wilmington) ranks #3051 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 79.5%
- On-time
- +0.5 pts
- vs US avg
- 73 min
- Delay when late
- 3,656
- Flights
- #3051 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
4.1%
Best Month
Oct 2024 92%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 62%
Distance
319 mi
Carriers
10
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 60 | 23 | 3 | 0 | OH |
| Nov 2025 | 68 | 16 | 4 | 1 | OH |
| Oct 2025 | 89 | 13 | 2 | 0 | OH |
| Sep 2025 | 90 | 13 | 1 | 0 | OH |
| Aug 2025 | 88 | 24 | 3 | 0 | AA,YX,OH |
| Jul 2025 | 88 | 29 | 11 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Jun 2025 | 82 | 23 | 6 | 0 | AA,OH,MQ |
| May 2025 | 62 | 19 | 1 | 0 | OH |
| Apr 2025 | 60 | 14 | 1 | 0 | OH |
| Mar 2025 | 67 | 19 | 2 | 0 | OH |
| Feb 2025 | 71 | 26 | 15 | 1 | OH |
| Jan 2025 | 62 | 15 | 10 | 0 | OH,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 57 | 20 | 0 | 0 | MQ,OH |
| Nov 2024 | 55 | 11 | 0 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Oct 2024 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Sep 2024 | 60 | 6 | 1 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Aug 2024 | 62 | 16 | 5 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Jul 2024 | 62 | 13 | 0 | 1 | OH,YX |
| Jun 2024 | 63 | 10 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX |
| May 2024 | 89 | 21 | 0 | 1 | MQ,OH,YX |
| Apr 2024 | 82 | 18 | 0 | 0 | MQ,OH |
| Mar 2024 | 62 | 7 | 0 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX |
| Feb 2024 | 58 | 7 | 0 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX |
| Jan 2024 | 62 | 15 | 2 | 0 | YX,OH |
DCA–ILM seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (88.0%) · weakest: July (73.1%)
Strongest calendar month
October
88.0% on-time · ~67 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
July
~77 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
73.1% on-time · ~77 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
4.1%
68 of 1,661 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
4 of 1,661 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
DCA - Washington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.
DCA on-time profileILM - Wilmington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Wilmington, NC.
ILM on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DCA and ILM side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DCA vs ILMOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among DCA departures
From DCA, this corridor sits with 77 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 91 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (4 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 10 below 75%). Destination: Wilmington · fleet on-time rank #3337 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DCA–ILM.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DCA to ILM
3,656 tracked flights put the DCA to ILM pairing (Washington to Wilmington) at a 79.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 72.9 minutes on average. Across the 319-mile route and its 10 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 4.1% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (1,661 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 92% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 62% - a 30-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DCA–ILM peaks in October at 88.0% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~77 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 73.1%, a 14.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DCA to ILM rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DCA to ILM? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DCA to ILM? ▼
How far is the flight from DCA to ILM? ▼
When is the best time to fly from DCA to ILM? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using DCA–ILM data
DCA–ILM is mid-pack at 79.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare DCA and ILM airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DCA airport
- If your dates flex, October (88.0% on-time) beats July (73.1%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 79.5% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.