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State · IL · 2020–2025 BTS data

Illinois

According to PlainFlights' state traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Illinois ranks #4 of 53 US states by total flight operations (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.5%
On-time
+1.5 pts
vs US avg
77 min
Delay when late
1.24%
Cancelled
#4 of 53
Corpus placement

State reliability verdict

According to U.S. DOT BTS data, Illinois is a busy-book state: 4,168,274 operations at 10 airports run 80.5% on-time, 1.5 pts above the 79% U.S. average. Among tracked airports, BMI leads locally at 85.2% on-time.

80.5%
statewide on-time
+1.5 pts
vs US average
10
airports tracked
1.24%
cancellation rate

On-time means arrived less than 15 minutes after schedule. Figures are historical BTS averages, not a guarantee for any single flight.

Illinois - all airports - flight delay tier distribution Stacked horizontal bar showing what percent of Illinois - all airports flights fell into each Bureau of Transportation Statistics delay tier: on-time (under 15 minutes late), delayed (15-60 minutes), heavily delayed (60-120 minutes), severe (120+ minutes), and cancelled. Illinois - all airports Flight delay tiers · BTS On-Time Performance methodology 80.5% 19.5% 0% 100% On time <15m · 80.5% Delayed 15–60m · 19.5% Cancelled cnx · 1.2%
Tiers follow Bureau of Transportation Statistics On-Time Performance definitions, a flight is on-time if it arrives less than 15 minutes after schedule.

Illinois vs all states by total flight operations

Where this state's BTS On-Time Performance flight count sits among every state with tracked operations (traffic density, not on-time quality)

4,168,274 Top 8% more flights than 92% of 53 states

States, banded by total BTS-tracked flights

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. 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.

Source BTS On-Time Performance · 2026-06-13

Airports in Illinois

Illinois airports ranked by on-time rate

10 BTS-tracked airports, led by BMI at 85.2%

On-time rate by airport

%

What this shows Airports here range from 76.4% to 85.2% on-time.

Code Airport City Flights On-Time Avg Delay (when late)
ORD Chicago, IL Chicago 3,114,086 81% 81.9 min
MDW Chicago, IL Chicago 880,912 78.4% 59.1 min
MLI Moline, IL Moline 45,407 83.4% 88.4 min
PIA Peoria, IL Peoria 44,104 80.7% 86.3 min
BMI Bloomington/Normal, IL Bloomington/Normal 25,097 85.2% 88.2 min
CMI Champaign/Urbana, IL Champaign/Urbana 17,865 84.8% 79.9 min
BLV Belleville, IL Belleville 14,072 76.4% 84.7 min
RFD Rockford, IL Rockford 9,512 78.9% 84.9 min
DEC Decatur, IL Decatur 9,084 84.5% 127.5 min
SPI Springfield, IL Springfield 8,116 82.8% 85.4 min

Illinois traffic-scale reading

The standout signal in Illinois is traffic scale: 4,168,274 BTS flights place it #4 of 53 by book size. That busy-book footprint sits beside a 80.5% on-time rate (1.5 pts above the 79% U.S. average), 812,774 delayed departures, and a 1.24% cancellation rate.

As a busy-book state, Chicago, IL (ORD) in Chicago dominates the average with 3,114,086 flights at 81% on-time - hub delay mix swings the state figure more than a thin schedule would.

On the recent 24-month tape, delay pressure is lightest in Feb 2024 and heaviest in Jul 2025. On reliability, Bloomington/Normal, IL (BMI) posts the highest on-time rate at 85.2% across 25,097 flights. On-time performance explained.

Using Illinois's data

Illinois's statewide on-time book sits in the slower third of BTS states; check the specific airport before treating the headline as typical.

  • Bloomington/Normal, IL (BMI) is the most reliable airport in Illinois among those with meaningful traffic. BMI profile
  • Chicago, IL handles the most traffic in the state; its performance weighs heavily on the state average. ORD profile
  • See how Illinois compares with every other state that has BTS-tracked airports. All states

State averages are flight-weighted across all reporting airports in the state; a single busy airport can dominate the figure.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Illinois figures formatted by PlainFlights from BTS On-Time Performance.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025