DCA to IND flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Indianapolis International Airport · 500 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or IND right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (DCA) to Indianapolis (IND) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.4% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- PSA Airlines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); Republic Airways was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (92% on time); around 5pm did worst (66%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Sunday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (60%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to IND?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 80% | 0.0% | 5 min | 0.0% | 5 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 79% | 4.9% | 15 min | 8.9% | 142 |
| American Airlines | 78% | 3.6% | 6 min | 0.0% | 28 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 77% | 3.3% | 16 min | 8.7% | 1,848 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am90%139 flights
- 7am87%158 flights
- 8am79%30 flights
- 9am92%62 flights
- 10am88%230 flights
- 11am86%93 flights
- 12pm78%222 flights
- 1pm66%61 flights
- 2pm80%193 flights
- 3pm66%113 flights
- 4pm90%30 flights
- 5pm66%268 flights
- 6pm71%114 flights
- 7pm71%153 flights
- 8pm67%118 flights
- 10pm53%34 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%6.5% cancelled
- Tuesday83%2.3% cancelled
- Wednesday78%3.6% cancelled
- Thursday77%2.3% cancelled
- Friday74%2.6% cancelled
- Saturday87%3.1% cancelled
- Sunday72%3.4% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft60%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather68%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)6%
- Security0%
DCA to IND: common questions
- How often are DCA to IND flights on time?
- 77% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Washington to Indianapolis cancelled?
- 3.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (69 of 2,023).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 65 min behind schedule on average, and 8.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: IND to DCA — 75% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DCA → IND, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.