Percent of Flight Delay by Delay Cause: 2010-2023

Figure

This combo bar-line graph shows percentage of delayed arrivals by delay cause and the number of arriving flights. Delay causes include aircraft arriving late, security delay, air carrier delay, National Aviation System delay, and extreme weather. From 2010 to 2019, aircraft arriving late was the most common reason for a delayed arrival, remaining around 40 percent. In 2023, aircraft arriving late again surpassed air carrier delay. The number of arriving flights peaked in 2019 at around 7.5 million flight.

Dataset Excel:

F1-15 Percent of Flight Delay by Delay Cause.xlsx (33.93 KB)

Notes:

Air Carrier Delay— the cause of the cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control (e.g., maintenance or crew problems). Aircraft Arriving Late—previous flight with same aircraft arrived late which caused the present flight to depart late. Security Delay—delays caused by evacuation of terminal or concourse, reboarding of aircraft because of security breech, inoperative screening equipment and long lines in excess of 29 minutes at screening areas. National Aviation System Delay—delays and cancellations attributable to the national aviation system refer to a board set of conditions, including nonextreme weather conditions, airport operations, heavy traffic volume, air traffic control, etc. Extreme Weather Delay—significant meteorological conditions (actual or forecasted) that, in the judgement of the carrier, delays or prevents the operation of a flight.

Description:

This graph is from the 2024 Transportation Statistics Annual Report.

Source:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Statistics and Delay Causes, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/ot_delay/OT_DelayCause1.asp as of July 2024

Previous Editions:

Percent of Flight Delay by Delay Cause: 2010-2022

Publications:

Transportation Statistics Annual Report Figure 1-15

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Percent of Flight Delay by Delay Cause: 2010-2023