Willard Airport is a nine-minute drive from the University of Illinois, making it convenient for people in the Champaign area to travel — but with one in five flights being delayed, some are second-guessing flying out of Willard. 

A delayed flight is defined as a flight that takes off at least 15 minutes later than when it was scheduled. 

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the proportion of delayed flights per year at Willard, dating back to 2018, peaked in 2024. This year alone, about 21% of flights have been delayed as of August.

The total number of flights delayed as of August this year is a 31% increase compared with last year, from 154 in 2023 to 202 so far this year.

Tim Bannon, the director of Willard Airport, said, “With where we are in the Midwest, weather delays are something all airports deal with. Many of the delays we experience outside of that are due to mechanical issues.” 

Aircrafts arriving late was the major cause of delayed flights so far this year, impacting 12% of all flights. Air carrier delays, defined as issues within the airline’s control like maintenance problems and fueling, made up 6%.

Bannon said there are multiple reasons for flights arriving late. He said that other than an aircraft experiencing mechanical issues, the air traffic incoming from Chicago can cause delays.

This trend appears in other central Illinois airports as well. For instance, as of July of this year, Bloomington Airport has the second-highest percentage of delayed flights it has had since 2018. Decatur Airport currently has the highest percentage of delays and lowest percentage of on-time flight departures it has seen in the past six years. 

On the other hand, the one area where Willard has improved is flight cancellations. This year, Willard has produced the second-lowest flight cancellation percentage throughout the last six years. Only 2.16% of flights have been canceled so far this year, a significant turnaround from just four years ago when nearly 8% of flights were canceled. 

The lowest percentage of cancellations in the past six years was in 2023 when it was 1.77%.

Bannon said he is extremely proud of the decrease in cancellations.

“Our amazing staff here and partnership with Flightstar Corporation are why we were able to get those numbers to where they are now,” he said.

Flightstar Corporation is a fixed base operator that offers maintenance, fueling, hanging, and charter services for a wide variety of aircrafts. Flightstar has been in partnership with Willard since 1978. It also provides overnight maintenance to ensure planes are prepared for their flights. This allows for maintenance to occur at Willard instead of transporting the planes elsewhere for repairs. 

Even though the number of cancellations has improved, the delays have led people to fly elsewhere. The two main places travelers around the Champaign County area are deciding to fly out of are Chicago and Indianapolis, Bannon said. 

“64 percent of travelers who live close to Willard, but decide to fly elsewhere, are going to Chicago,” he said. 

Currently, there are only two airports in the U.S. that are owned and by a university. One is Swisher Skyhaven Airport, owned by the University of Central Missouri, and the other is Willard Airport, owned by the University of Illinois. 

Established in 1945, Willard Airport has served the community by offering affordable, commercial flights. However, declining on-time flight numbers have contributed to people deciding to fly elsewhere.

Bannon said Willard’s future goal is to try to get those passengers back who decide to fly elsewhere. 

“We are working daily to make Willard better in every way possible. We want to provide for the community when it comes to air travel,” Bannon said.