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

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Greece’s busiest airports were Athens, Heraklion (Crete), Thessaloniki, Rhodes and Corfu. Greek airlines include Aegean Airlines (hubs Athens and Thessaloniki) and SKY express (Athens, Heraklion and Thessaloniki). EU261 covers every departure from Greece, whatever the airline, and flights to Greece 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 Greece 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 Greece from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), Passenger Rights and Air Carriers Operating Licensing Section or an ADR body, and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Greece to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to GreeceEU261Any airline
From the UK to GreeceUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to GreeceEU261EU 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 Greece

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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 Greece

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

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Athens – Larnaca930 km€250€250
Athens – Istanbul553 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Athens – Rome Fiumicino1,085 km€250€250
Athens – Paris Charles de Gaulle2,108 km€400€400
Athens – Munich1,518 km€400€400
Athens – Frankfurt1,816 km€400€400
Athens – Milan Malpensa1,520 km€400€400
Athens – Amsterdam Schiphol2,182 km€400€400
Athens – Vienna1,279 km€250€250
Athens – Zurich1,639 km€400€400

How to claim in Greece

  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: Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), Passenger Rights and Air Carriers Operating Licensing Section – Contact the airline first; filing a complaint with the HCAA is free. It deals with flights departing from Greece, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Alternative dispute resolution: The Hellenic Consumer Ombudsman (Synigoros tou Katanaloti) mediates between consumers and businesses, including airlines; it has published cases in which its mediation led an airline to pay compensation after a cancellation. Contact the airline 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 Greece

Airports in Greece

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

Strikes in Greece

  • 2026-11-25: public sector (ADEDY) – nationwide (uncertain)

Most Greek strikes that touch air travel are 24-hour national strikes called by ADEDY (public sector) or GSEE (private sector), often weeks ahead. Flights are only grounded if the air traffic controllers – public employees represented by EEEKE – join, which is often announced just days before; courts have repeatedly declared their participation illegal at the last minute (for example on 30 September 2025). When controllers do strike, only essential flights operate, such as overflights and state, medical and humanitarian flights.

Strike days at Greece’s airports since 2024

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

DateATC strike delay (min)Other strike delay (min)Airports
27 February 202419–ATH

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

  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data, air traffic control capacity accounted for roughly four-fifths of arrival flow-control delay at Greek airports. Chania and Athens had the highest averages, followed by Zakynthos and Heraklion, which peaked in August.
  • Whether a Greek strike grounds flights is often decided a day or two before, by the controllers or a court. Do not cancel your trip early: if the airline does not cancel your flight, you have no right to a refund.
  • On islands with few flights, ask the airline in writing for the earliest alternative – including another airline or a nearby airport – and keep a copy.
  • Air traffic control delays are normally extraordinary circumstances, so no compensation is due for them – but the airline must still provide meals, refreshments and, if needed, a hotel.

Frequently asked questions

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

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 Greece if the airline refuses to pay?

To Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), Passenger Rights and Air Carriers Operating Licensing Section, the national enforcement body for Greece (Contact the airline first; filing a complaint with the HCAA is free). It handles complaints about flights departing from Greece and flights arriving there from outside the EU. Alternative dispute resolution: The Hellenic Consumer Ombudsman (Synigoros tou Katanaloti) mediates between consumers and businesses, including airlines; it has published cases in which its mediation led an airline to pay compensation after a cancellation. Contact the airline first.

How long do I have to claim in Greece?

The time limit depends on which country’s courts hear the claim, and we have not found an authoritative statement of the period for Greece. Claim as soon as you can, and check with Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), Passenger Rights and Air Carriers Operating Licensing Section or the European Consumer Centre. See time limits by country.

I live in Greece 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. Complaint submission procedure – Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority
  3. Hellenic Consumer Ombudsman – Συνήγορος του Καταναλωτή
  4. Successful mediation: airline pays after flight cancellation (16 June 2026) – Συνήγορος του Καταναλωτή
  5. Greek air traffic controllers join nationwide strike, disrupting flights (1 April 2025) – iefimerida.gr
  6. Flights operating normally on Wednesday: air traffic controllers’ strike declared illegal (30 September 2025) – Proto Thema
  7. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  8. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  9. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  10. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  11. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  12. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  13. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  14. 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.