78% of flights leaving Wilmington (ILM) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. About 31 flights leave ILM on a typical day; 3.5% were cancelled. 77% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (93% on time). Worst: 7 p.m. (58%).
- Best month: November (86%). Worst: July (68%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (80%), vs American Airlines at 77%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (46% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (78% → 78%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving ILM: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 42% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 54 three hours or more; 3.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late4.9%
- 30–60 min late5.2%
- 1–2 hours late4.7%
- 2–3 hours late2.0%
- 3+ hours late1.9%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled3.5%
Share of all 11,290 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ILM
Time of day matters more at ILM than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 58%, a 35-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 89% on time against 67% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 8.5% of the time, against 3.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ILM was a 5 a.m. departure in April (96% on time); the least, 7 p.m. in July (39%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at ILM, with 68% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 13 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.8% of flights).
Airlines at ILM
American Airlines runs 71% of departures from ILM, so ILM is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (80% on time) and American Airlines the least (77%), a 3-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 7,991 | 77% | 78% | 3.5% | −11 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,280 | 80% | 79% | 3.5% | −14 min |
| United Airlines | 839 | 77% | 79% | 4.3% | −10 min |
| JetBlue | 180 | 47% | 49% | 1.1% | +17 min |
Why flights are late at ILM
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ILM, 46% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 24%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 396 cancellations, 60% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
ILM vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILM Wilmington | — | 11,290 | 78% | 3.5% |
| OAJ Albert J Ellis | 42 mi | 3,155 | 82% | 2.4% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of ILM departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (86%); the worst, July 2026 (69%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Feb 1, 2026, when 92% of 26 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2026 | 26 | 92% | 4% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 26 | 88% | 4% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 25 | 88% | 12% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 26 | 54% | 19% |
| Mar 12, 2026 | 29 | 38% | 24% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 28 | 36% | 54% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 26 | 35% | 35% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 29 | 28% | 34% |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 35 | 26% | 51% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 28 | 25% | 68% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ILM, each airline's final departure was cancelled 6.0% of the time, against 2.6% for its earlier flights (2.3× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 2.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Washington (12.1% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 7:50 p.m. | 12.1% | 2.5% | 47% |
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 5:24 p.m. | 10.9% | 3.4% | 60% |
| LGA New York | American Airlines | 6:33 p.m. | 11.9% | 1.2% | 58% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 1:03 p.m. | 5.9% | 3.6% | 67% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 7:19 p.m. | 5.0% | 2.2% | 75% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 4:35 p.m. | 2.6% | 3.2% | 65% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 8:01 p.m. | 3.6% | 0.8% | 73% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 3:32 p.m. | 1.6% | 2.7% | 68% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:48 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.6% | 76% |
| MIA Miami | American Airlines | 7:00 a.m. | 1.9% | 0.0% | 78% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of ILM
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ILM the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ILM; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ILM come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ILM
Where you're going matters too. From ILM, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 85% on time) and the least reliable to New York (LGA, 72%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS Boston | 429 | 54% | 2.3% | +6 min |
| DCA Washington | 879 | 61% | 8.2% | −4 min |
| LGA New York | 1,844 | 72% | 6.8% | −8 min |
| DFW Dallas | 707 | 76% | 3.1% | −11 min |
| ORD Chicago | 590 | 78% | 1.7% | −13 min |
| EWR Newark | 721 | 78% | 4.4% | −10 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,258 | 80% | 3.0% | −13 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,968 | 84% | 1.9% | −13 min |
| MIA Miami | 460 | 85% | 1.5% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,391 | 85% | 1.6% | −16 min |
Flights into ILM
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Wilmington, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (59% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 707 | 59% | 3.0% |
| LGA New York | 1,844 | 67% | 7.2% |
| DCA Washington | 879 | 68% | 6.8% |
| EWR Newark | 721 | 71% | 6.4% |
| BOS Boston | 429 | 76% | 0.7% |
| MIA Miami | 460 | 78% | 1.5% |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,969 | 78% | 1.8% |
| ORD Chicago | 591 | 79% | 2.0% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,257 | 80% | 3.4% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,391 | 83% | 1.4% |
Questions about ILM delays
What is the best time to fly out of ILM?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 93% of ILM departures at that hour arrived on time, against 58% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ILM?
July (68% on time). November is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at ILM?
Delta Air Lines: 80% of its ILM departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 77%.
Why are flights delayed at ILM?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (46% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (24%).
How often are flights cancelled at ILM?
3.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.8%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.