Wilmington International Airport Statistics

Wilmington International Airport handles over 90,000 aircraft movements annually, including takeoffs and landings.

• The airport recorded 93,206 total operations in 2025, a 1.1% decrease from 94,223 in 2024.
• In 2019, operations totaled 69,106, including air carrier, general aviation and military flights.
• Operations dropped to 65,841 in 2020, a 4.7% decline, before rising to 78,370 in 2021, 78,450 in 2022, and 87,662 in 2023 (a 12% increase from the prior year).

ILM experiences clear seasonal patterns, with peak traffic in summer and during holidays.

• July was the busiest month in 2025 with 194,394 passengers.
• August followed with 187,624, and June had 183,575.
• October traffic reached 174,164, driven by fall tourism.
• September saw 163,502 passengers.
• The lowest volumes were in January (97,966) and February (97,732), typical of the post-holiday lull.

• Charlotte, NC (CLT) was the top route with 254,770 passengers in 2025, serving as American Airlines’ primary hub connection
• Atlanta, GA (ATL) saw 119,700 passengers, connecting through Delta
• New York-LaGuardia (LGA) served 97,050 passengers via American and Delta
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) had 59,110 passengers, linking to American’s largest hub
• Philadelphia, PA (PHL) handled 50,870 passengers on American Airlines.

Flight cancellations at ILM remain relatively low.

• In 2025, 3.02% of flights were canceled, indicating a worse performance than 1.75% in 2024.
• The highest rate occurred in 2020 with 7.10%, due to pandemic-related disruptions.
• In 2021, cancellations dropped to 1.02%, then rose to 3.28% in 2022, reflecting industry-wide staffing and weather issues.
• By 2023, the rate improved to 2.16% as operations stabilized.

Wilmington International Airport generates over $17 million in annual operating revenue, driven by passenger growth.

• FY2023 revenue was $14.8 million, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
• FY2024 reached $16.5 million, an 11.5% increase over FY2023.
• FY2025 revenue totaled $17.5 million, a 6.1% rise from FY2024.

• September 24, 1961: A USAF Fairchild C-123 crashed after takeoff during an air show, killing 3 of 15 onboard.
• August 22, 1962: A Piedmont Airlines Martin 4-0-4 veered off the runway during training. All 3 crew survived, but the aircraft was destroyed.
• October 4, 1975: A Cessna 310 ran out of fuel near the runway. 1 fatality, 5 survivors including wrestler Ric Flair. The cause was listed as fuel mismanagement.
• April 23, 1987: An Air-Lift Commuter Metro II crashed after engine failure, killing both pilots.
• May 4, 1990: A GAF Nomad arriving from Raleigh crashed on approach, resulting in 2 fatalities.