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Route · ILM → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data

Wilmington to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ILM to DCA (Wilmington to Washington) ranks #3052 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

78.5%
On-time
-0.5 pts
vs US avg
93 min
Delay when late
3,655
Flights
#3052 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

4.5%

Best Month

Sep 2024 90%

Worst Month

Dec 2024 56%

Distance

319 mi

Carriers

10

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 60 21 3 0 OH
Nov 2025 67 19 4 2 OH
Oct 2025 90 26 2 0 OH
Sep 2025 90 15 2 0 OH
Aug 2025 88 24 2 0 AA,YX,OH
Jul 2025 88 38 11 0 OH,YX
Jun 2025 82 29 9 0 AA,OH,MQ
May 2025 62 17 1 0 OH
Apr 2025 60 10 1 0 OH
Mar 2025 68 12 1 1 OH
Feb 2025 70 27 14 0 OH
Jan 2025 62 15 9 0 OH,MQ
Dec 2024 57 25 0 0 MQ,OH
Nov 2024 55 11 0 0 YX,OH
Oct 2024 62 10 0 0 YX,OH
Sep 2024 60 6 2 0 YX,OH
Aug 2024 62 16 6 0 OH,YX
Jul 2024 62 18 3 0 OH,YX
Jun 2024 63 17 1 0 MQ,OH,YX
May 2024 89 27 1 0 MQ,OH,YX
Apr 2024 82 22 0 0 MQ,OH
Mar 2024 62 7 0 0 MQ,OH,YX
Feb 2024 58 10 0 0 MQ,OH,YX
Jan 2024 62 15 3 0 YX,OH

ILM–DCA seasonal on-time pattern

Best: March (83.5%) · weakest: July (69.9%)

65%70%75%80%85% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 77.5%

Strongest calendar month

March

83.5% on-time · ~51 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

July

~77 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

69.9% on-time · ~77 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

4.5%

75 of 1,661 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

3 of 1,661 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

ILM - Wilmington

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Wilmington, NC.

ILM on-time profile

DCA - Washington

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.

DCA on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See ILM and DCA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare ILM vs DCA

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among ILM departures

From ILM, this corridor sits with 5 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 8 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (2 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #3683 of 4927.

What the Data Says About ILM to DCA

3,655 tracked flights put the ILM to DCA pairing (Wilmington to Washington) at a 78.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 93.2 minutes on average. Across the 319-mile route and its 10 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 4.5% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (1,661 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2024 posted the strongest performance at 90% on-time, while Dec 2024 came in at just 56% - a 34-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, ILM–DCA peaks in March at 83.5% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~77 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 69.9%, a 13.6-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does ILM to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, ILM to DCA ranks #3052 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from ILM to DCA? ▼
Flights from Wilmington to Washington have a 78.5% on-time rate based on 3,655 flights. The average delay is 93.2 minutes. The best recent month was Sep 2024 with 90% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for ILM to DCA? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 4.5% of flights on this route were cancelled (75 of 1,661 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from ILM to DCA? ▼
The flight distance from Wilmington (ILM) to Washington (DCA) is approximately 319 miles. This route is served by 10 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from ILM to DCA? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Sep 2024 (90% on-time). The worst was Dec 2024 (56% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

ILM Airport

Wilmington
DCA Airport

Washington
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 ILM–DCA data

ILM–DCA is mid-pack at 78.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare ILM and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ILM airport
  • If your dates flex, March (83.5% on-time) beats July (69.9%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 78.5% 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.

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

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.