FlightRecord

Norfolk International Airport (ORF): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 88% on-time in November 2024 but sank to 67% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 80% against a national 78%, over roughly 55 departures a day to 29 destinations.

Departures on-time
80%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
18 min
Arrivals on-time
76%
Cancelled
2.3%
Destinations
29
nonstop
Airlines
13

Plan your departure from ORF

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
92% on-time
Best day to fly
Wednesday
83% on-time
Most reliable airline here
United Airlines
87% on-time from ORF
Cancellation risk
2.3%
above the US average
Check routes from ORF ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at ORF50%75%100%June 2024: 75% on-time (1,857 flights)75Jun 2024July 2024: 67% on-time (1,945 flights)67August 2024: 77% on-time (1,972 flights)77September 2024: 87% on-time (1,888 flights)87Sep 2024October 2024: 87% on-time (1,936 flights)87November 2024: 88% on-time (1,790 flights)88December 2024: 80% on-time (1,728 flights)80Dec 2024January 2025: 85% on-time (1,441 flights)85February 2025: 83% on-time (1,288 flights)83March 2025: 83% on-time (1,554 flights)83Mar 2025April 2025: 84% on-time (1,567 flights)84May 2025: 78% on-time (1,676 flights)78June 2025: 72% on-time (1,821 flights)72Jun 2025July 2025: 68% on-time (1,917 flights)68August 2025: 82% on-time (1,816 flights)82September 2025: 88% on-time (1,734 flights)88Sep 2025October 2025: 85% on-time (1,765 flights)85November 2025: 83% on-time (1,648 flights)83December 2025: 74% on-time (1,645 flights)74Dec 2025January 2026: 83% on-time (1,390 flights)83February 2026: 82% on-time (1,329 flights)82March 2026: 79% on-time (1,561 flights)79Mar 2026April 2026: 84% on-time (1,655 flights)84May 2026: 82% on-time (1,790 flights)82

Best time of day to depart from ORF

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at ORF5 a.m.: 92% on-time (2,717 flights)56 a.m.: 91% on-time (7,446 flights)67 a.m.: 89% on-time (2,126 flights)78 a.m.: 86% on-time (2,427 flights)89 a.m.: 84% on-time (1,439 flights)910 a.m.: 85% on-time (2,463 flights)1011 a.m.: 83% on-time (1,798 flights)1112 p.m.: 81% on-time (2,593 flights)121 p.m.: 78% on-time (2,357 flights)132 p.m.: 78% on-time (1,448 flights)143 p.m.: 71% on-time (2,806 flights)154 p.m.: 73% on-time (2,302 flights)165 p.m.: 72% on-time (2,782 flights)176 p.m.: 66% on-time (2,491 flights)187 p.m.: 68% on-time (2,279 flights)198 p.m.: 66% on-time (1,079 flights)209 p.m.: 56% on-time (155 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday77%21 min
Tuesday82%18 min
Wednesdaybest83%14 min
Thursday79%17 min
Friday78%19 min
Saturday81%16 min
Sunday76%20 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from ORF ↓

Busiest routes from ORF

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORF → ATL (Atlanta)2,90982%15 min
ORF → CLT (Charlotte)2,46782%18 min
ORF → ORD (Chicago)1,80778%17 min
ORF → BWI (Baltimore)1,53083%11 min
ORF → LGA (New York)1,49176%19 min
ORF → DCA (Washington)1,05671%28 min
ORF → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)1,01573%27 min
ORF → PHL (Philadelphia)82275%26 min
ORF → MCO (Orlando)81576%19 min
ORF → JFK (New York)73383%13 min
ORF → DTW (Detroit)72080%21 min
ORF → EWR (Newark)70979%19 min
ORF → IAD (Washington)62389%9 min
ORF → DEN (Denver)59979%16 min
ORF → MIA (Miami)58785%18 min
ORF → MDW (Chicago)56881%12 min
ORF → BOS (Boston)48875%21 min
ORF → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)44675%23 min
ORF → BNA (Nashville)42481%11 min

Compare airlines departing ORF ↓

Where flights into ORF come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ATL (Atlanta) → ORF2,90976%16 min
CLT (Charlotte) → ORF2,46875%19 min
ORD (Chicago) → ORF1,80573%19 min
BWI (Baltimore) → ORF1,53177%12 min
LGA (New York) → ORF1,49278%14 min
DCA (Washington) → ORF1,05569%24 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → ORF1,01568%22 min
PHL (Philadelphia) → ORF82172%29 min

Most reliable routes

  1. ORF → IAD89%
  2. ORF → MIA85%
  3. ORF → BWI83%
  4. ORF → JFK83%
  5. ORF → ATL82%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. ORF → DCA71%
  2. ORF → DFW73%
  3. ORF → BOS75%
  4. ORF → FLL75%
  5. ORF → PHL75%

What causes delays at ORF

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing ORF.

  • Late-arriving aircraft38%
  • Airline operations34%
  • National airspace system23%
  • Weather5%

Alternative airports near Norfolk

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
RIC — Richmond International Airport75 mi80%17 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at ORF

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
United Airlines87%13 min3,741
Republic Airways85%14 min6,833
Envoy Air82%13 min1,010
Delta Air Lines82%16 min5,788
PSA Airlines80%22 min6,437
American Airlines80%22 min5,453
Southwest Airlines78%13 min6,390
Endeavor Air77%19 min1,251
SkyWest Airlines75%25 min913
Spirit Airlines74%22 min1,446
Frontier Airlines72%28 min731
JetBlue Airways69%23 min417
Allegiant Air60%38 min303

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at ORF?
20% of departures from Norfolk International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 18 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from ORF?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 92% of the time at ORF, versus 56% around 9 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at ORF?
In this dataset, July 2024 was the weakest month at ORF, with 67% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at ORF?
2.3% of scheduled departures from ORF were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 40,713 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.