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Biarritz Pays Basque airport (BIQ): flight delays and compensation

Biarritz Pays Basque airport. As an EU airport, every flight departing from here is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004. Here is what to expect if your flight was delayed or cancelled here, or you were stranded.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: Reading time: 6 min How we write our guides

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In short: Any flight departing from Biarritz Pays Basque airport that arrives 3 or more hours late, is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or is overbooked can give €250–600 per passenger. Departures: EU261 with any airline.

Live at Biarritz (BIQ) today

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About the airport

Biarritz Pays Basque airport (BIQ) serves Biarritz, France. On the routes Eurostat reports, 850,070 passengers flew to or from it in 2024, the 195th-highest among the 397 European airports we cover. Its busiest connections were to Paris, Paris, Lyon, London.

Every flight departing from here is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, whatever the airline. Flights arriving here are covered if they depart from the EU, or if an EU airline operates them from outside the EU.

Busiest routes from Biarritz – and what a delay is worth

The 10 busiest routes on Eurostat’s 2024 data, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation in each direction.

DestinationPassengers 2024DistanceFrom BIQReturn
Paris CDG223,120691 km€250€250
Paris ORY211,535657 km€250€250
Lyon LYS113,186580 km€250€250
London STN101,326945 km€250£220
Dublin DUB50,3141,161 km€250€250
Brussels CRL47,100900 km€250€250
London LGW34,518860 km€250£220
Nice NCE26,863704 km€250€250
Geneva GVA22,625675 km€250€250
Edinburgh EDI19,4831,394 km€250£220

* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.

Air traffic flow delays at Biarritz Pays Basque (2025)

EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 5,994 flights arrived at BIQ; 0 of them were held back this way, 0 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.00 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

    Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

    1. J
    2. F
    3. M
    4. A
    5. M
    6. J
    7. J
    8. A
    9. S
    10. O
    11. N
    12. D

    2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 4,975 arrivals, 0.01 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly ATC staffing (100%).

    Check what happened at BIQ on your travel day →

    What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.

    Typical delay causes at Biarritz Pays Basque airport

    • EUROCONTROL recorded 5,994 arrivals at BIQ in 2025; 0 were held by air traffic flow restrictions, 0 of them by more than 15 minutes.
    • Most long delays that earn compensation are not flow delays but airline problems – technical faults, crew shortages and late inbound aircraft – which do not count as extraordinary circumstances.

    Airlines you are likely to fly with here

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      What happened?Step 1 of 4

      What happened to your flight?
      Where did you fly from and to?

      With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

      How late did you arrive at your final destination?

      What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

      When were you told about the cancellation?
      When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
      Which airline operated the flight?
      When was the flight?

      How many passengers were on the booking?

      1 passenger

      Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

      • Free, no sign-up
      • Fee only if successful (35%)
      • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

      Rather skip the questions? Start a claim with AirHelp straight away

      Local information

      • Ask the airline staff at the gate for the reason for the delay or cancellation and write it down; take a photo of the departure board.
      • From 2 hours’ delay (depending on distance) the airline must give you meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight – keep the receipts if you had to pay yourself.
      • If the airline rejects your claim, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (or arrived, for flights from outside the EU), or go to court.

      Frequently asked questions

      Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Biarritz Pays Basque airport?

      Yes. BIQ is an EU airport, so every flight departing from it is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, whatever the airline and wherever it is based.

      Can I claim compensation for a flight arriving at Biarritz Pays Basque airport?

      If the flight departed from an EU airport: yes, with any airline. If it departed from the UK: yes, under UK261, with any airline. If it departed from elsewhere: only if an EU airline operated it.

      How is the length of the delay measured?

      By your arrival time at your final destination – more precisely, the moment the aircraft door opens at the gate. It must be at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.

      Related guides

      Information only, not legal advice. Passenger figures are approximate and based on the airports' published statistics; punctuality figures are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We earn a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links is successful.

      Sources

      1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
      2. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL

      We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.