In short: Any flight departing from Stockholm-Arlanda 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 Stockholm (ARN) today
About the airport
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN) serves Stockholm, Sweden. On the routes Eurostat reports, 20,250,871 passengers flew to or from it in 2024, the 26th-highest among the 397 European airports we cover. Its busiest connections were to Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki, Luleå.
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 Stockholm – 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 ARN | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copenhagen CPH | 1,299,390 | 547 km | €250 | €250 |
| Oslo OSL | 1,146,116 | 385 km | €250 | €250 |
| Helsinki HEL | 1,044,407 | 398 km | €250 | €250 |
| Luleå LLA | 902,451 | 689 km | €250 | €250 |
| Amsterdam AMS | 894,239 | 1,152 km | €250 | €250 |
| London LHR | 860,923 | 1,463 km | €250 | £220 |
| Málaga AGP | 578,216 | 3,016 km | €400 | €400 |
| Umeå UME | 551,953 | 477 km | €250 | €250 |
| Paris CDG | 535,177 | 1,539 km | €400 | €400 |
| Frankfurt FRA | 520,802 | 1,224 km | €250 | €250 |
| Munich MUC | 517,147 | 1,317 km | €250 | €250 |
| Alicante ALC | 414,334 | 2,711 km | €400 | €400 |
| Vienna VIE | 411,511 | 1,286 km | €250 | €250 |
| Gothenburg GOT | 396,135 | 394 km | €250 | €250 |
| Zurich ZRH | 363,828 | 1,487 km | €250 | €250 |
| Gdańsk GDN | 345,201 | 587 km | €250 | €250 |
| Palma de Mallorca PMI | 328,891 | 2,475 km | €400 | €400 |
| Barcelona BCN | 326,035 | 2,315 km | €400 | €400 |
| Riga RIX | 323,634 | 465 km | €250 | €250 |
| Tallinn TLL | 321,724 | 390 km | €250 | €250 |
| Berlin BER | 317,934 | 855 km | €250 | €250 |
| London LGW | 311,522 | 1,475 km | €250 | £220 |
| Brussels BRU | 287,990 | 1,288 km | €250 | €250 |
| Skellefteå SFT | 282,351 | 577 km | €250 | €250 |
| Istanbul IST | 261,708 | 2,175 km | €400 | €400* |
| Istanbul SAW | 245,853 | 2,229 km | €400 | €400* |
| Rome FCO | 232,229 | 2,022 km | €400 | €400 |
| Malmö MMX | 224,725 | 531 km | €250 | €250 |
| Gran Canaria LPA | 223,700 | 4,335 km | €400 | €400 |
| Kiruna KRN | 216,237 | 916 km | €250 | €250 |
* only with an EU (or UK) airline. Passengers: Eurostat, both directions, routes reported by EU/EEA airports.
Air traffic flow delays at Arlanda (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, 100,916 flights arrived at ARN; 138 of them were held back this way, 32 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.01 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: 4 September 2025 – 552 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 24 October 2025 – 246 minutes, mostly weather; 27 August 2025 – 164 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 76,648 arrivals, 0.10 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (97%) and aerodrome capacity (3%).
Check what happened at ARN on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (36% 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 Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
- EUROCONTROL recorded 100,916 arrivals at ARN in 2025; 138 were held by air traffic flow restrictions, 32 of them by more than 15 minutes.
- The largest single cause of this flow delay was aerodrome capacity (64%); weather accounted for 36%.
- The worst day was 4 September 2025, with 552 minutes of flow delay, mostly aerodrome 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 Stockholm
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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 Stockholm-Arlanda Airport?
Yes. ARN 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 Stockholm-Arlanda 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
- 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.