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Flight compensation in Belgium: delays, cancellations and how to claim

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Belgium’s busiest airports were Brussels (Zaventem) – the hub of Brussels Airlines – and Brussels South Charleroi, well ahead of Ostend-Bruges, Liège and Antwerp. EU261 covers every departure from Belgium, whatever the airline, and flights to Belgium from outside the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland when an airline licensed in one of those countries operates them.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Every flight departing from Belgium is covered by EU261, whatever the airline: €250–€600 per passenger for a delay of 3 hours or more at arrival, a cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice or denied boarding – unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Flights into Belgium from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to FPS Mobility and Transport – Directorate-General Air Transport, Passenger Rights or an ADR body, and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Belgium to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to BelgiumEU261Any airline
From the UK to BelgiumUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to BelgiumEU261EU airlines only

Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must also provide meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight; after a cancellation or a 5-hour delay you can choose a refund. Care and refunds.

Check your flight from Belgium

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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%)
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How much: example routes from Belgium

Compensation per passenger for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation on the busiest international routes (Eurostat 2024):

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Brussels Zaventem – Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas1,314 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Barcelona El Prat1,084 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Rome Fiumicino1,173 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Málaga1,735 km€400€400
Brussels Zaventem – Alicante1,458 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Geneva532 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Vienna925 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Lisbon1,717 km€400€400
Brussels Zaventem – Frankfurt304 km€250€250
Brussels Zaventem – Dublin784 km€250€250

How to claim in Belgium

  1. Claim from the airline in writing – its online form or a letter (complaint letter generator). Keep your booking, boarding pass and receipts.
  2. National enforcement body: FPS Mobility and Transport – Directorate-General Air Transport, Passenger Rights – Online complaint form in Dutch, French and English. It deals with flights departing from Belgium, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Alternative dispute resolution: The Consumer Mediation Service (Consumentenombudsdienst / Service de Médiation pour le Consommateur) is free and fully non-binding, and only mediates with companies established in Belgium, such as Belgian airlines. You must show that you tried to settle with the company first.
  4. Court: the local court for the departure or arrival airport, or – for cross-border cases – the European Small Claims Procedure.

Prefer not to do it yourself? A claims company does the work for a share of the compensation – see claim companies compared.

Airlines from Belgium

Airports in Belgium

Delay causes, busiest routes and seasonal patterns: flights to Belgium · European delay statistics.

Strikes in Belgium

No strikes affecting flights in Belgium are announced in our strike calendar at the moment.

Belgian unions usually announce national action days several weeks ahead. Brussels Airport and Charleroi then publish their expected operations a few days before – on several strike days in 2025–2026 Brussels Airport asked airlines to cancel many or all departures. Belgium has no rule guaranteeing a minimum level of flights during strikes.

Strike days at Belgium’s airports since 2024

EUROCONTROL attributes every arrival flow restriction to a cause. These are the days on which restrictions at Belgium’s airports were put down to industrial action, from January 2024 to 30 September 2026 – 1 in 2024, 2 in 2026.

DateATC strike delay (min)Other strike delay (min)Airports
2 June 2026832–CRL, LGG
1 June 20261,006–CRL
1 February 2024–148BRU

Only restrictions on arriving flights at the airports themselves are counted; strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere (for example in France, affecting overflights) and by airline staff do not appear here. A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff is usually an extraordinary circumstance; a strike by the airline’s own staff is not. Source: EUROCONTROL. Check a specific day: delay cause checker.

Good to know

  • On a national strike day, check Brussels Airport’s and Charleroi’s own announcements a few days before – they decide whether departures will run once they know how many service-provider staff will work.
  • A national action day is usually an extraordinary circumstance for the airline, so no compensation – but you can still choose a refund or re-routing and are owed meals and, if needed, a hotel.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data most arrival flow-control delay at Brussels was attributed to airport capacity, peaking in August.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation can I get for a delayed flight in Belgium?

Under EU261, €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km (and for every flight within the EU over 1,500 km) and €600 for longer flights (€300 if a long-haul flight arrives 3–4 hours late), per passenger, if you arrive 3 hours or more late and the airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances. It does not matter where you live – only where you flew from, where to, and with which airline.

Where do I complain in Belgium if the airline refuses to pay?

To FPS Mobility and Transport – Directorate-General Air Transport, Passenger Rights, the national enforcement body for Belgium (Online complaint form in Dutch, French and English). It handles complaints about flights departing from Belgium and flights arriving there from outside the EU. Alternative dispute resolution: The Consumer Mediation Service (Consumentenombudsdienst / Service de Médiation pour le Consommateur) is free and fully non-binding, and only mediates with companies established in Belgium, such as Belgian airlines. You must show that you tried to settle with the company first.

How long do I have to claim in Belgium?

The time limit depends on which country’s courts hear the claim, and we have not found an authoritative statement of the period for Belgium. Claim as soon as you can, and check with FPS Mobility and Transport – Directorate-General Air Transport, Passenger Rights or the European Consumer Centre. See time limits by country.

I live in Belgium but my flight left from another country. Where can I claim?

Your rights depend on the flight, not on where you live. For a flight between two EU countries you can sue in the courts for the place of departure or the place of arrival (CJEU C-204/08 Rehder); for cross-border cases the European Small Claims Procedure works by post and online. The enforcement body to complain to is the one in the country where the incident happened.

Information only, not legal advice. Enforcement bodies and dispute schemes as listed by the European Commission, checked November 2026.

Sources

  1. National enforcement bodies under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (updated 13 October 2026) – European Commission
  2. Consumer Mediation Service – FAQ – Consumentenombudsdienst
  3. National Day of Action and public sector strike to cause disruption on 9 and 12 October (8 October 2026) – VRT NWS
  4. Brussels Airport cancels all departing services on 12 March 2026 due to strike action – CAPA – Centre for Aviation
  5. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  6. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  7. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  8. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  9. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  10. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  11. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  12. C-204/08 Rehder v Air Baltic (jurisdiction: place of departure or arrival) – EUR-Lex

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