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

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport was by far Estonia’s busiest airport, with Kuressaare (Saaremaa) a distant second; Latvia’s airBaltic uses Tallinn as a secondary hub. EU261 covers every departure from Estonia, whatever the airline, and flights to Estonia 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 Estonia 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 Estonia from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet, TTJA) or an ADR body, and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Estonia to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to EstoniaEU261Any airline
From the UK to EstoniaUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to EstoniaEU261EU 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 Estonia

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

How much: example routes from Estonia

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

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Tallinn – Stockholm Arlanda390 km€250€250
Tallinn – Helsinki101 km€250€250
Tallinn – Riga282 km€250€250
Tallinn – Frankfurt1,470 km€250€250
Tallinn – Warsaw Chopin841 km€250€250
Tallinn – Antalya2,540 km€400€400 (an EU airline)
Tallinn – Istanbul2,035 km€400€400 (an EU airline)
Tallinn – Berlin1,053 km€250€250
Tallinn – Amsterdam Schiphol1,472 km€250€250
Tallinn – Munich1,492 km€250€250

How to claim in Estonia

  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: Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet, TTJA) – Complain to the airline first. If it does not answer or you are not satisfied, TTJA helps you deal with the airline and can then issue its own opinion, which is not legally binding; you can still go to court. It deals with flights departing from Estonia, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Alternative dispute resolution: The Consumer Disputes Committee (Tarbijavaidluste komisjon) at TTJA handles complaints against airlines established in Estonia or with a branch there. It is free. Its decision is not enforceable, but a trader that does not comply within 30 days is put on a public blacklist (for up to 12 months) unless it takes the dispute to court.
  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.

Airports in Estonia

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

Strikes in Estonia

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

Strike days at Estonia’s airports since 2024

EUROCONTROL recorded no arrival flow restrictions due to industrial action at Estonia’s airports between January 2024 and 30 September 2026. Strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere and by airline staff are not included. Check a specific day.

Good to know

  • The Consumer Disputes Committee only covers airlines established in Estonia or with a branch there; for other airlines TTJA points to the European Consumer Centre and, for cross-border claims up to €5,000, the European Small Claims Procedure.
  • Check the Consumer Disputes Committee’s public blacklist: it names traders that did not comply with the committee’s decisions.
  • Tallinn had almost no arrival flow-control delay in EUROCONTROL’s 2024–2025 data, so if your flight from Tallinn was badly delayed, ask the airline in writing for the specific reason.

Frequently asked questions

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

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 Estonia if the airline refuses to pay?

To Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet, TTJA), the national enforcement body for Estonia (Complain to the airline first. If it does not answer or you are not satisfied, TTJA helps you deal with the airline and can then issue its own opinion, which is not legally binding; you can still go to court). It handles complaints about flights departing from Estonia and flights arriving there from outside the EU. Alternative dispute resolution: The Consumer Disputes Committee (Tarbijavaidluste komisjon) at TTJA handles complaints against airlines established in Estonia or with a branch there. It is free. Its decision is not enforceable, but a trader that does not comply within 30 days is put on a public blacklist (for up to 12 months) unless it takes the dispute to court.

How long do I have to claim in Estonia?

The time limit depends on which country’s courts hear the claim, and we have not found an authoritative statement of the period for Estonia. Claim as soon as you can, and check with Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet, TTJA) or the European Consumer Centre. See time limits by country.

I live in Estonia 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. Travel services (air passenger rights) – TTJA
  3. Lennureisijale – TTJA
  4. Tarbijavaidluste komisjon – KKK – TTJA
  5. Regulation (EC) No 861/2007 – European Small Claims Procedure (not applicable in Denmark) – EUR-Lex
  6. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  7. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  8. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  9. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  10. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  11. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  12. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  13. 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.