How reliable is Santos Dumont Airport?
Flights from SDU avoided significant airline-controlled delay in 86% of 226,411 flights in official ANAC history — and weather is calmest in Apr. Here’s the full picture before you book.
Reliability score
on-time, cancellations & delays
Weather favorability
year-round climate
Origin-airport operations
What the airline-controlled delay record at SDU looks like
Avoided 15+ min controlled delay
across 226,411 flights
Source: ANAC VRA · data through 2026-06-25. Origin-grouped, cause-attributed operational history; it is not a direct departure-punctuality measure or a guarantee for any flight.
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Weather by month
When the weather works for you at Rio de Janeiro
A calm-weather score (0–100) for each month from decades of airport observations — how often conditions disrupt flying, not temperature. Higher is calmer.
Calmest month
Calmest flying weather of the year · 98/100 favorability
Roughest month
Most disruptive — low visibility & fog, thunderstorms · 94/100 favorability
The read on SDU
What the numbers say about flying through Santos Dumont Airport
Across official performance history, flights from Rio de Janeiro avoided significant airline-controlled delay about 86% of the time over 226,411 flights. That's one of the more dependable operational records you'll see. Pair it with an elevated cancellation rate of 3.1% — worth weighing alongside the on-time figure. When a departure does run late, the typical delay is around 1 minutes.
On weather, Rio de Janeiro is an unusually calm-weather airport year-round. April is the calmest stretch for flying, scoring 98 out of 100 for favorable conditions, while October is the most disruptive at 94, driven mainly by low visibility & fog and thunderstorms. The year is relatively steady, so no single month stands out as one to avoid on weather alone.
None of this guarantees your specific flight — it’s the backdrop. To turn it into a booking, score real flights to Rio de Janeiro, read how we weigh it all in how the PlaneSane Score works, and brush up with how to pick a reliable flight and avoiding weather delays.
Common questions about SDU
- How reliable is Santos Dumont Airport (SDU)?
- Flights from Rio de Janeiro avoided significant airline-controlled delay roughly 86% of the time across 226,411 flights of official history — one of the more dependable operational records you'll see. The cancellation rate runs about 3.1%. It's advisory context, not a guarantee for any single flight.
- What is the best month to fly from SDU for good weather?
- April has the calmest flying weather at Santos Dumont Airport. October is the most disruptive, mainly from low visibility & fog and thunderstorms.
Planning a trip through Rio de Janeiro?
Score real flights to and from SDU on reliability, weather, and connection safety — not just price.