European air passengers may claim €2.2 billion in compensation so far this year

Despite notable improvements in airline performance across Europe this year, nearly 75,000 significantly delayed or cancelled flights in the first six months of 2025 could trigger around €2.2 billion in passenger compensation, according to estimates from Skycop.com.

In the first half of this year, around 1.1% of all flight departures in Europe (EU, EEA and the UK) were disrupted under the EU261 regulation — either delayed by more than three hours or canceled, aggregated data by compensation management company Skycop shows. Although some of these disruptions were caused by factors outside the airlines’ control, such as severe weather or strikes, the figures still point to a total of €2.2 billion in compensation.

Interestingly, Europe saw a further increase in flight volumes and a significant decrease in disruptions in the first half of 2025. This year, around 6.9 million flights took off in Europe, with 1.1% of them — or approximately 75,000 — classified as disrupted. From January to June 2024, around 110,000 flights out of a total of 6.7 million — or 1.62% — were disrupted.

The highest shares of disrupted flights in the first half of this year were recorded in Finland, which experienced an unusually high number of strikes during the period, and Iceland (both 3%), the Netherlands (2.5%), as well as Belgium and Luxembourg (both 2%). Among the largest European aviation markets, Spain and Italy performed best this year, with a disruption rate of 0.6% — well below the European average. The largest aviation market, Germany, had an above-average disruption rate of 1.2%, yet this marked a significant improvement from last year’s 2.8%.

Skycop’s attorney-at-law, Nerijus Zaleckas, applauds the improved airline performance, noting that it aligns with the expectations of both travelers and regulators. He believes the better figures may be attributed to easing supply chain tensions or simply to airlines and airports becoming more accustomed to growing passenger flows.

“However, 75,000 disruptions this year meant around 10 million affected passengers, with half of these delays considered avoidable. We urge the EU to maintain the current compensation eligibility criteria as a way to pressure airlines to ensure timely and smooth operations. At the same time, doubling the compensation amounts — unchanged since 2004 — should also be considered to account for inflation,” Zaleckas says.

For this data, Skycop analyzed 31 countries: all EU member states, as well as Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland, which are part of the EU261 regulation. The United Kingdom was also included, as its UK261 scheme essentially mirrors the European regulation.

The €2.2 billion potential compensation estimate is based on conservative assumptions of 120 passengers per departing flight and a minimum payout of €250. However, up to half of disruption cases fall outside airline liability due to events such as severe weather or strikes, and about two-thirds of affected, eligible passengers never file claims.

Under EU261 regulation, passengers are entitled to compensation for significant delays when departing from EU airports (regardless of airline origin) and when arriving at EU airports with EU-registered airlines. If a departing flight arrives at its final destination more than three hours late, passengers are entitled to compensation ranging from €250 to €600, depending on the flight distance.

Currently, the EU is considering changing the compensation amounts to €300–500 and, more importantly, increasing the minimum delay threshold to 4–6 hours. Skycop has repeatedly and publicly objected to these initiatives, as they would reduce the number of eligible compensation claims by at least two to three times.The post European air passengers may claim €2.2 billion in compensation so far this year appeared first on AeroTime.

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