Washington (DCA) to Wilmington (ILM)
Flight time
≈ 1h 26m
Bearing
189° S
Washington (DCA) to Wilmington (ILM) is 320 miles (515 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
Look up a route, or build a trip
Change the airports, or add stops for a multi-leg trip.
What actually flies DCA–ILM
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, PSA Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop DCA–ILM; the Bombardier CRJ-700 was the most common aircraft at 44% of departures; flights ran 69% full.
Departures
120
April 2026
Seats
8,765
both directions
Passengers
6,018
both directions
Load factor
68.7%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DCA–ILM?
PSA Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–ILM departures in April 2026 (100), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- OH
PSA Airlines
100 departures · 7,017 seats
Share of departures83.3%68.0%
Load
- YX
Republic Airways
18 departures · 1,368 seats
Share of departures15.0%64.8%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
2 departures · 380 seats
Share of departures1.7%93.7%
Load
What plane flies DCA–ILM?
In April 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-700 flew 44% of DCA–ILM departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Bombardier CRJ-700
53 departures · 70.3% load
44.2% - Bombardier CRJ-900
47 departures · 65.9% load
39.2% - Embraer E175
18 departures · 64.8% load
15.0% - Airbus A321
2 departures · 93.7% load
1.7%
How has DCA–ILM traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–ILM departures fell from 122 in May 2025 to 120 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–ILM traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
122 departures · 6,364 passengers
80.3%
Load
June 2025
151 departures · 7,664 passengers
69.8%
Load
July 2025
154 departures · 7,986 passengers
73.8%
Load
August 2025
171 departures · 8,408 passengers
70.3%
Load
September 2025
177 departures · 7,046 passengers
57.6%
Load
October 2025
177 departures · 7,649 passengers
64.1%
Load
November 2025
124 departures · 5,300 passengers
63.7%
Load
December 2025
114 departures · 5,785 passengers
72.4%
Load
January 2026
102 departures · 4,071 passengers
59.2%
Load
February 2026
99 departures · 4,513 passengers
65.4%
Load
March 2026
109 departures · 5,797 passengers
71.2%
Load
April 2026
120 departures · 6,018 passengers
68.7%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
DCA → ILM
68.0% full
61 departures · 3,029 passengers
ILM → DCA
69.3% full
59 departures · 2,989 passengers
Nonstop DCA–ILM traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Washington (DCA) from Wilmington (ILM)?
DCA to ILM is 320 miles (515 km / 278 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to ILM?
A nonstop covers the 320-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 26m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–ILM?
In April 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-700 flew the largest share of departures (44.2%), followed by the Bombardier CRJ-900 (39.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–ILM?
Distance-based programs credit off the 320-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
Keep exploring
Every route below is its own page.
Other routes from DCA
Popular long-haul routes