In short: Any flight departing from Vienna International 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. Austrian law, 3-year limitation period; apf dispute resolution.
Live at Vienna (VIE) today
About the airport
Vienna is the hub of Austrian Airlines and an important transfer airport between Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. Ryanair and Wizz Air also base aircraft here, and it serves travellers from neighbouring Slovakia and western Hungary too.
An EU airport: every departing flight is covered by EU261, and Austrian courts are regarded as passenger-friendly.
Busiest routes from Vienna – 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 VIE | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt FRA | 1,033,819 | 621 km | €250 | €250 |
| London LHR | 803,962 | 1,275 km | €250 | £220 |
| Amsterdam AMS | 779,610 | 959 km | €250 | €250 |
| Zurich ZRH | 750,117 | 603 km | €250 | €250 |
| Barcelona BCN | 745,546 | 1,370 km | €250 | €250 |
| Paris CDG | 721,105 | 1,035 km | €250 | €250 |
| Berlin BER | 696,408 | 521 km | €250 | €250 |
| Rome FCO | 614,848 | 779 km | €250 | €250 |
| Copenhagen CPH | 566,674 | 877 km | €250 | €250 |
| Hamburg HAM | 559,287 | 767 km | €250 | €250 |
| Athens ATH | 549,170 | 1,279 km | €250 | €250 |
| Palma de Mallorca PMI | 540,785 | 1,458 km | €250 | €250 |
| Istanbul IST | 529,836 | 1,223 km | €250 | €250* |
| Düsseldorf DUS | 525,819 | 788 km | €250 | €250 |
| Brussels BRU | 518,598 | 925 km | €250 | €250 |
| Bucharest OTP | 515,181 | 830 km | €250 | €250 |
| Istanbul SAW | 500,459 | 1,287 km | €250 | €250* |
| Madrid MAD | 470,585 | 1,805 km | €400 | €400 |
| Antalya AYT | 435,250 | 1,702 km | €400 | €400* |
| Munich MUC | 432,744 | 355 km | €250 | €250 |
| Warsaw WAW | 418,941 | 549 km | €250 | €250 |
| Sofia SOF | 413,741 | 804 km | €250 | €250 |
| Stockholm ARN | 411,511 | 1,286 km | €250 | €250 |
| Milan MXP | 399,322 | 656 km | €250 | €250 |
| Tirana TIA | 394,142 | 785 km | €250 | €250* |
| Cologne CGN | 392,438 | 746 km | €250 | €250 |
| Málaga AGP | 356,556 | 2,135 km | €400 | €400 |
| London STN | 349,794 | 1,237 km | €250 | £220 |
| Venice VCE | 335,733 | 432 km | €250 | €250 |
| Larnaca LCA | 312,611 | 2,036 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 Vienna International (Schwechat) (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, 126,819 flights arrived at VIE; 4,516 of them were held back this way, 2,488 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.79 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: 6 July 2025 – 9,190 minutes, mostly weather; 1 June 2025 – 6,328 minutes, mostly weather; 18 July 2025 – 5,607 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 91,326 arrivals, 0.70 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (86%) and ATC staffing (13%).
Check what happened at VIE on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (93% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (7%) 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 Vienna International Airport
- The Austrian Airlines pay dispute and strikes in 2024 led to hundreds of cancellations – not extraordinary circumstances.
- Transfer traffic means missed connections are common; on a single booking, the arrival time at the final destination counts.
- Winter de-icing queues – disputed, but usually the responsibility of the airport or the airline when capacity is insufficient.
Airlines you are likely to fly with here
- Austrian Airlines
- Ryanair
- Wizz Air
- Lufthansa
- Eurowings
- Turkish Airlines
- Emirates
- Qatar Airways
- Etihad Airways
Check your flight from Vienna
Two minutes, free, no sign-up.
Local information
- In Austria, the apf (Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte) offers free dispute resolution – slow but effective.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim compensation for a flight departing from Vienna International Airport?
Yes. VIE 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 Vienna International 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.