Check compensationCheck

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

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Italy’s busiest airports were Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Milan Bergamo, Catania and Naples. Italian airlines include ITA Airways (hubs Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate) and Air Dolomiti; Ryanair has a hub at Milan Bergamo and Wizz Air a base at Rome Fiumicino. EU261 covers every departure from Italy, whatever the airline, and flights to Italy 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

Check compensation or start a claim with AirHelp straight away

In short: Every flight departing from Italy 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 Italy from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to ENAC – Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (Air Passenger Rights Directorate) or an ADR body, and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Italy to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to ItalyEU261Any airline
From the UK to ItalyUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to ItalyEU261EU 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 Italy

Two minutes, free, no sign-up.

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%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

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

How much: example routes from Italy

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

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Rome Fiumicino – Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas1,331 km€250€250
Rome Fiumicino – Barcelona El Prat848 km€250€250
Milan Malpensa – Barcelona El Prat721 km€250€250
Rome Fiumicino – Paris Orly1,090 km€250€250
Rome Fiumicino – Paris Charles de Gaulle1,101 km€250€250
Milan Malpensa – Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas1,149 km€250€250
Milan Malpensa – Paris Charles de Gaulle598 km€250€250
Rome Fiumicino – Athens1,085 km€250€250
Milan Malpensa – Istanbul1,681 km€400€400 (an EU airline)
Milan Linate – Paris Charles de Gaulle644 km€250€250

How to claim in Italy

  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: ENAC – Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (Air Passenger Rights Directorate) – Complaints must be filed through ENAC’s online portal. ENAC uses them to check and sanction airlines; a complaint to ENAC is not a way to obtain compensation or a refund. It deals with flights departing from Italy, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Alternative dispute resolution: To claim compensation or a refund, use the Transport Regulatory Authority’s (ART) dispute settlement service through the ConciliaWeb platform, in person or through a representative.
  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 Italy

Airports in Italy

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

Strikes in Italy

  • 2026-11-20: general strike (CGIL), also affecting air transport – nationwide (announced)
  • 2026-11-21: ENAV air traffic controllers (FILT-CGIL, UGL-TA) – nationwide (announced)
  • 2026-11-22: ENAV controllers at Malpensa (Fast-Confsal); Sicuritalia IVRI security staff at Venice Marco Polo (Fisascat-Cisl) – Milan Malpensa, Venice (announced)
  • 2026-11-22: Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta staff (USB Lavoro Privato) – Pisa and Florence (announced)
  • 2026-12-04: general strike (CUB, SGB, SI-COBAS and others) – nationwide (announced)

Air transport is an essential public service (Law 146/1990). At least 10 days’ notice is required and strikes are listed in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport’s strike register. All scheduled departures between 07:00–10:00 and 18:00–21:00 must operate, and ENAC publishes a list of other guaranteed flights before each strike. No air transport strikes are allowed in set periods (18 December–7 January, 24 April–2 May, 27 June–4 July, 27 July–5 September, 30 October–5 November, and around Easter and elections). National air traffic control (ENAV) strikes usually run 13:00–17:00.

Strike days at Italy’s airports since 2024

EUROCONTROL attributes every arrival flow restriction to a cause. These are the days on which restrictions at Italy’s airports were put down to industrial action, from January 2024 to 30 September 2026 – 6 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2026.

DateATC strike delay (min)Other strike delay (min)Airports
30 September 2026307–BLQ
5 July 2026748–MXP
10 April 20262,565–MXP, CTA, NAP, VCE, BLQ, TSF
17 December 2025252–FCO
20 June 2025–202LIN
10 January 2025–1,368LIN
15 December 2024776–MXP
29 November 20242,169–MXP, BGY
11 October 2024286–PMO
21 July 2024791–BGY
5 July 20241,443–VCE
24 January 2024112–BLQ

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 strike day, flights departing 07:00–10:00 or 18:00–21:00 are guaranteed; midday flights are the most at risk. ENAC publishes the full list of guaranteed flights before each strike.
  • Italian strikes are often postponed or withdrawn a day or two before – check the official MIT strike register (filter “Aereo”) and your airline rather than cancelling yourself.
  • ENAC advises sending your complaint to the airline within two years of the flight date – this is ENAC’s guidance for the complaint, not a court limitation period.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data Naples had by far the highest average arrival flow-control delay of Italy’s large airports.

Frequently asked questions

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

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 Italy if the airline refuses to pay?

To ENAC – Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (Air Passenger Rights Directorate), the national enforcement body for Italy (Complaints must be filed through ENAC’s online portal. ENAC uses them to check and sanction airlines; a complaint to ENAC is not a way to obtain compensation or a refund). It handles complaints about flights departing from Italy and flights arriving there from outside the EU. Alternative dispute resolution: To claim compensation or a refund, use the Transport Regulatory Authority’s (ART) dispute settlement service through the ConciliaWeb platform, in person or through a representative.

How long do I have to claim in Italy?

The time limit depends on which country’s courts hear the claim, and we have not found an authoritative statement of the period for Italy. Claim as soon as you can, and check with ENAC – Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (Air Passenger Rights Directorate) or the European Consumer Centre. See time limits by country.

I live in Italy 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. Modalità di reclamo per negato imbarco, cancellazione, ritardo – ENAC
  3. ConciliaWeb – dispute settlement service – Autorità di Regolazione dei Trasporti (ART)
  4. Scioperi nel trasporto aereo – prestazioni minime garantite – ENAC
  5. Strike register (scioperi) – Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport
  6. ENAV strike notice, 30 September 2026, 13:00–17:00 – ENAC
  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.