FlightRecord

Tucson International Airport (TUS): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Tucson International Airport (TUS) runs noticeably smoother than most US airports: 85% of its ~54 daily departures leave on time, 7 points above the national average, with an average departure delay of just 13 minutes. 8 airlines fly from Tucson, AZ to 19 destinations.

Departures on-time
85%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
13 min
Arrivals on-time
80%
Cancelled
0.9%
Destinations
19
nonstop
Airlines
8

Plan your departure from TUS

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

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
94% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
87% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Delta Air Lines
90% on-time from TUS
Cancellation risk
0.9%
below the US average
Check routes from TUS ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at TUS50%75%100%June 2024: 81% on-time (1,363 flights)81Jun 2024July 2024: 81% on-time (1,392 flights)81August 2024: 85% on-time (1,428 flights)85September 2024: 89% on-time (1,534 flights)89Sep 2024October 2024: 89% on-time (1,718 flights)89November 2024: 88% on-time (1,736 flights)88December 2024: 85% on-time (1,874 flights)85Dec 2024January 2025: 88% on-time (1,866 flights)88February 2025: 86% on-time (1,755 flights)86March 2025: 87% on-time (2,051 flights)87Mar 2025April 2025: 86% on-time (1,899 flights)86May 2025: 83% on-time (1,752 flights)83June 2025: 81% on-time (1,481 flights)81Jun 2025July 2025: 82% on-time (1,441 flights)82August 2025: 85% on-time (1,401 flights)85September 2025: 85% on-time (1,371 flights)85Sep 2025October 2025: 83% on-time (1,598 flights)83November 2025: 85% on-time (1,753 flights)85December 2025: 83% on-time (1,784 flights)83Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (1,738 flights)85February 2026: 84% on-time (1,646 flights)84March 2026: 83% on-time (1,923 flights)83Mar 2026April 2026: 84% on-time (1,834 flights)84May 2026: 81% on-time (1,691 flights)81

Best time of day to depart from TUS

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at TUS5 a.m.: 94% on-time (1,978 flights)56 a.m.: 94% on-time (4,630 flights)67 a.m.: 92% on-time (4,506 flights)78 a.m.: 89% on-time (2,343 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (1,980 flights)910 a.m.: 85% on-time (2,071 flights)1011 a.m.: 87% on-time (3,240 flights)1112 p.m.: 83% on-time (3,913 flights)121 p.m.: 81% on-time (3,379 flights)132 p.m.: 79% on-time (1,992 flights)143 p.m.: 71% on-time (2,058 flights)154 p.m.: 75% on-time (2,139 flights)165 p.m.: 81% on-time (2,747 flights)176 p.m.: 76% on-time (1,408 flights)187 p.m.: 72% on-time (915 flights)198 p.m.: 74% on-time (557 flights)209 p.m.: 85% on-time (132 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday83%14 min
Tuesdaybest87%12 min
Wednesday86%11 min
Thursday84%13 min
Friday83%13 min
Saturday86%12 min
Sunday82%15 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from TUS ↓

Busiest routes from TUS

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
TUS → PHX (Phoenix)3,33585%13 min
TUS → DEN (Denver)2,79683%13 min
TUS → LAX (Los Angeles)2,56786%12 min
TUS → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)2,20680%21 min
TUS → LAS (Las Vegas)1,35684%11 min
TUS → SLC (Salt Lake City)1,11294%5 min
TUS → SEA (Seattle)1,06583%11 min
TUS → ORD (Chicago)1,03982%17 min
TUS → SFO (San Francisco)99277%18 min
TUS → ATL (Atlanta)80992%11 min
TUS → SAN (San Diego)65380%13 min
TUS → PDX (Portland)36593%5 min
TUS → MDW (Chicago)34489%7 min
TUS → HOU (Houston)23286%10 min
TUS → DAL (Dallas)22484%10 min
TUS → IAH (Houston)20689%10 min
TUS → MSP (Minneapolis)17386%15 min
TUS → SNA (Santa Ana)12484%11 min

Compare airlines departing TUS ↓

Where flights into TUS come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
PHX (Phoenix) → TUS3,33284%11 min
DEN (Denver) → TUS2,79778%14 min
LAX (Los Angeles) → TUS2,56581%16 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → TUS2,20670%23 min
LAS (Las Vegas) → TUS1,35779%12 min
SLC (Salt Lake City) → TUS1,11291%5 min
SEA (Seattle) → TUS1,06580%11 min
ORD (Chicago) → TUS1,04175%18 min

Most reliable routes

  1. TUS → SLC94%
  2. TUS → PDX93%
  3. TUS → ATL92%
  4. TUS → IAH89%
  5. TUS → MDW89%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. TUS → SFO77%
  2. TUS → SAN80%
  3. TUS → DFW80%
  4. TUS → ORD82%
  5. TUS → DEN83%

What causes delays at TUS

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft34%
  • Airline operations40%
  • National airspace system19%
  • Weather7%

Alternative airports near Tucson

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
AZA — Mesa Gateway Airport92 mi83%12 min
PHX — Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport110 mi79%14 min

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

Airline performance at TUS

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Delta Air Lines90%12 min2,277
Envoy Air88%8 min1,320
SkyWest Airlines87%12 min17,193
United Airlines86%11 min2,353
Southwest Airlines82%12 min9,123
Alaska Airlines81%10 min1,151
American Airlines81%20 min6,298
Frontier Airlines79%21 min314

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at TUS?
15% of departures from Tucson International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 13 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from TUS?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 94% of the time at TUS, versus 71% around 3 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at TUS?
In this dataset, May 2026 was the weakest month at TUS, with 81% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at TUS?
0.9% of scheduled departures from TUS were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 40,029 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.