In short: Any flight departing from Kos International Airport "Ippokratis" 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 Kos (KGS) today
About the airport
Kos International Airport "Ippokratis" (KGS) serves Kos, Greece. On the routes Eurostat reports, 2,606,928 passengers flew to or from it in 2024, the 132nd-highest among the 397 European airports we cover. Its busiest connections were to Athens, Manchester, London, Amsterdam.
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 Kos – and what a delay is worth
The 30 busiest routes on Eurostat’s 2024 data, with the compensation for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation in each direction.
| Destination | Passengers 2024 | Distance | From KGS | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens ATH | 306,368 | 306 km | €250 | €250 |
| Manchester MAN | 169,834 | 2,916 km | €400 | £350 |
| London LGW | 157,541 | 2,678 km | €400 | £350 |
| Amsterdam AMS | 156,209 | 2,452 km | €400 | €400 |
| Düsseldorf DUS | 121,068 | 2,274 km | €400 | €400 |
| Brussels BRU | 102,258 | 2,380 km | €400 | €400 |
| Birmingham BHX | 94,661 | 2,839 km | €400 | £350 |
| Frankfurt FRA | 93,667 | 2,088 km | €400 | €400 |
| Munich MUC | 82,025 | 1,789 km | €400 | €400 |
| Bristol BRS | 81,439 | 2,849 km | €400 | £350 |
| Zurich ZRH | 76,922 | 1,927 km | €400 | €400 |
| Katowice KTW | 72,402 | 1,650 km | €400 | €400 |
| Warsaw WAW | 69,520 | 1,775 km | €400 | €400 |
| London STN | 69,466 | 2,690 km | €400 | £350 |
| Stuttgart STR | 67,260 | 1,961 km | €400 | €400 |
| Berlin BER | 64,045 | 2,031 km | €400 | €400 |
| Hamburg HAM | 62,031 | 2,289 km | €400 | €400 |
| Prague PRG | 60,062 | 1,801 km | €400 | €400 |
| Cologne CGN | 57,173 | 2,224 km | €400 | €400 |
| Vienna VIE | 55,200 | 1,523 km | €400 | €400 |
| Hanover HAJ | 54,002 | 2,209 km | €400 | €400 |
| East Midlands EMA | 45,642 | 2,833 km | €400 | £350 |
| Eindhoven EIN | 41,770 | 2,362 km | €400 | €400 |
| Nuremberg NUE | 37,098 | 1,911 km | €400 | €400 |
| Milan MXP | 35,041 | 1,817 km | €400 | €400 |
| Newcastle NCL | 34,553 | 2,973 km | €400 | £350 |
| Milan BGY | 34,419 | 1,751 km | €400 | €400 |
| Leipzig LEJ | 34,144 | 2,005 km | €400 | €400 |
| Wrocław WRO | 31,682 | 1,785 km | €400 | €400 |
| Poznań POZ | 31,085 | 1,914 km | €400 | €400 |
* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.
Air traffic flow delays at Kos (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, 12,007 flights arrived at KGS; 790 of them were held back this way, 501 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 1.56 minutes per arrival.
What caused the ATFM delay
Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Worst days: 26 July 2025 – 722 minutes, mostly ATC capacity; 19 September 2025 – 669 minutes, mostly weather; 5 July 2025 – 511 minutes, mostly ATC capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 10,399 arrivals, 1.60 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly ATC capacity (89%) and aerodrome capacity (6%).
Check what happened at KGS on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (6% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (94%) 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 Kos International Airport "Ippokratis"
- EUROCONTROL recorded 12,007 arrivals at KGS in 2025; 790 were held by air traffic flow restrictions, 501 of them by more than 15 minutes.
- The largest single cause of this flow delay was ATC capacity (90%); weather accounted for 6%.
- The worst day was 26 July 2025, with 722 minutes of flow delay, mostly ATC capacity.
- 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
Check your flight from Kos
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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 Kos International Airport "Ippokratis"?
Yes. KGS 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 Kos International Airport "Ippokratis"?
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
- Flight delay compensation
- Missed connection compensation
- National enforcement bodies and ADR
- All airports
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
- Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
- 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.