FlightRecord

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 91% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 75% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 83% against a national 78%, over roughly 64 departures a day to 46 destinations.

Departures on-time
83%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
16 min
Arrivals on-time
78%
Cancelled
1.9%
Destinations
46
nonstop
Airlines
11

Plan your departure from SDF

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

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
93% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
85% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Republic Airways
88% on-time from SDF
Cancellation risk
1.9%
above the US average
Check routes from SDF ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at SDF50%75%100%June 2024: 82% on-time (2,156 flights)82Jun 2024July 2024: 75% on-time (2,183 flights)75August 2024: 83% on-time (2,057 flights)83September 2024: 87% on-time (2,025 flights)87Sep 2024October 2024: 91% on-time (2,179 flights)91November 2024: 89% on-time (1,904 flights)89December 2024: 83% on-time (1,811 flights)83Dec 2024January 2025: 84% on-time (1,701 flights)84February 2025: 84% on-time (1,574 flights)84March 2025: 86% on-time (1,905 flights)86Mar 2025April 2025: 83% on-time (1,948 flights)83May 2025: 79% on-time (2,125 flights)79June 2025: 77% on-time (2,114 flights)77Jun 2025July 2025: 77% on-time (2,176 flights)77August 2025: 84% on-time (2,061 flights)84September 2025: 87% on-time (1,929 flights)87Sep 2025October 2025: 84% on-time (2,089 flights)84November 2025: 82% on-time (1,731 flights)82December 2025: 77% on-time (1,686 flights)77Dec 2025January 2026: 84% on-time (1,578 flights)84February 2026: 84% on-time (1,594 flights)84March 2026: 77% on-time (2,009 flights)77Mar 2026April 2026: 84% on-time (2,136 flights)84May 2026: 83% on-time (2,304 flights)83

Best time of day to depart from SDF

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at SDF5 a.m.: 93% on-time (1,461 flights)56 a.m.: 92% on-time (6,368 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (4,941 flights)78 a.m.: 90% on-time (3,106 flights)89 a.m.: 91% on-time (1,528 flights)910 a.m.: 86% on-time (3,268 flights)1011 a.m.: 84% on-time (2,539 flights)1112 p.m.: 83% on-time (3,200 flights)121 p.m.: 82% on-time (2,778 flights)132 p.m.: 79% on-time (2,578 flights)143 p.m.: 77% on-time (3,068 flights)154 p.m.: 73% on-time (2,831 flights)165 p.m.: 74% on-time (2,766 flights)176 p.m.: 70% on-time (2,835 flights)187 p.m.: 71% on-time (1,876 flights)198 p.m.: 64% on-time (1,511 flights)209 p.m.: 56% on-time (313 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday82%16 min
Tuesdaybest85%13 min
Wednesday84%13 min
Thursday81%17 min
Friday80%19 min
Saturday83%16 min
Sunday78%19 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from SDF ↓

Busiest routes from SDF

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
SDF → ORD (Chicago)2,80080%16 min
SDF → ATL (Atlanta)2,71288%11 min
SDF → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)2,03074%27 min
SDF → CLT (Charlotte)1,74977%24 min
SDF → DTW (Detroit)1,23885%15 min
SDF → DEN (Denver)1,10783%13 min
SDF → LGA (New York)1,08785%11 min
SDF → DCA (Washington)1,02978%22 min
SDF → MDW (Chicago)1,00186%10 min
SDF → EWR (Newark)95386%11 min
SDF → BWI (Baltimore)89085%10 min
SDF → MCO (Orlando)88582%13 min
SDF → BOS (Boston)70773%19 min
SDF → MSP (Minneapolis)65182%15 min
SDF → PHL (Philadelphia)57384%18 min
SDF → TPA (Tampa)43784%10 min
SDF → MIA (Miami)42981%26 min
SDF → LAS (Las Vegas)40081%13 min
SDF → BNA (Nashville)38382%10 min
SDF → PHX (Phoenix)37282%11 min
SDF → DAL (Dallas)35182%10 min
SDF → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)34773%24 min
SDF → HOU (Houston)28382%12 min
SDF → IAD (Washington)20194%5 min
SDF → PGD (Punta Gorda)14077%19 min
SDF → SFB (Sanford)13753%54 min
SDF → VPS (Valparaiso)13179%20 min
SDF → PIE (St. Petersburg)11769%25 min
SDF → LAX (Los Angeles)10679%12 min

Compare airlines departing SDF ↓

Where flights into SDF come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → SDF2,79777%17 min
ATL (Atlanta) → SDF2,71282%12 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → SDF2,02672%22 min
CLT (Charlotte) → SDF1,75174%21 min
DTW (Detroit) → SDF1,23880%15 min
DEN (Denver) → SDF1,10674%18 min
LGA (New York) → SDF1,08682%14 min
DCA (Washington) → SDF1,03175%20 min

Most reliable routes

  1. SDF → IAD94%
  2. SDF → ATL88%
  3. SDF → MDW86%
  4. SDF → EWR86%
  5. SDF → BWI85%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. SDF → SFB53%
  2. SDF → PIE69%
  3. SDF → BOS73%
  4. SDF → FLL73%
  5. SDF → DFW74%

What causes delays at SDF

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft35%
  • Airline operations38%
  • National airspace system22%
  • Weather5%

Alternative airports near Louisville

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
LEX — Blue Grass Airport62 mi81%18 min
CVG — Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport84 mi82%16 min
EVV — Evansville Regional Airport98 mi81%20 min
IND — Indianapolis International Airport111 mi82%14 min

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

Airline performance at SDF

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Republic Airways88%9 min12,153
Delta Air Lines87%11 min5,202
United Airlines83%14 min1,443
Southwest Airlines82%11 min10,146
Envoy Air81%13 min2,422
SkyWest Airlines80%21 min3,829
American Airlines79%27 min4,985
Endeavor Air76%13 min119
PSA Airlines75%30 min3,823
Spirit Airlines74%21 min1,374
Allegiant Air71%29 min1,479

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at SDF?
17% of departures from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 16 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from SDF?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 93% of the time at SDF, versus 56% around 9 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at SDF?
In this dataset, July 2024 was the weakest month at SDF, with 75% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at SDF?
1.9% of scheduled departures from SDF were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 46,975 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.