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Flights to Germany: delays, cancellations and your rights

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Germany’s busiest airports were Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. German airlines include Lufthansa (hubs Frankfurt and Munich), Eurowings, Condor and Discover Airlines. EU261 covers every departure from Germany, whatever the airline, and flights to Germany 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: Flying to Germany from elsewhere in Europe, a delay of 3 hours or more is worth €250–€400 per passenger on typical routes (EU261, any airline); from the UK £220 under UK261. On the way home, EU261 covers every flight leaving Germany.

Your rights each way

DirectionRulesCovered airlines3h+ delay / late cancellation
Another EU/EEA country or Switzerland → GermanyEU261any airline€250–€400
Germany → another EU/EEA country or SwitzerlandEU261any airline€250–€400
UK → GermanyUK261any airline£220
Germany → UKEU261any airline€250
Outside Europe → GermanyEU261only an EU airlineby distance, up to €600

Amounts are per passenger and depend on the great-circle distance between your airports – the ranges cover the busiest routes. Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must provide meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight – where EU261 or UK261 applies. Living in Germany or flying from there? See how to claim in Germany.

Check your flight to or from Germany

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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%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

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

Airports in Germany

AirportPassengers 2024*ATFM delay per arrival 2025Main cause
Frankfurt (FRA)37,218,8770.95 minweather (82%)
Munich (MUC)31,905,0230.42 minweather (77%)
Berlin (BER)22,824,4720.10 minaerodrome capacity (91%)
Düsseldorf (DUS)16,637,7050.05 minweather (85%)
Hamburg (HAM)13,007,6350.01 minATC staffing (32%)
Cologne (CGN)8,891,8080.56 minaerodrome capacity (72%)
Stuttgart (STR)8,018,3500.25 minATC capacity (36%)
Hanover (HAJ)4,303,8380.00 min–
Nuremberg (NUE)3,611,8300.00 min–
Memmingen (FMM)3,065,269––
Dortmund (DTM)2,939,321––
Bremen (BRE)1,756,3630.01 minaccident/incident (100%)
Leipzig (LEJ)1,716,8350.18 minweather (85%)
Karlsruhe (FKB)1,592,180––
Frankfurt Hahn (HHN)1,505,261––
Weeze (NRN)1,440,894––
Münster (FMO)1,189,6680.00 min–
Dresden (DRS)781,5280.00 min–
Büren (PAD)737,974––
Saarbrücken (SCN)290,7880.00 min–
Friedrichshafen (FDH)160,403––
Erfurt (ERF)146,4400.00 min–

* Passengers on routes reported to Eurostat (both directions).

Routes from the UK to Germany

From the UK: in the CAA’s 2025 data the busiest German destinations from UK airports were Frankfurt, Berlin Brandenburg, Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne Bonn. Flights departing from Germany are covered by EU261 whatever the airline; flights from the UK to Germany by UK261; flights from Germany to the UK by EU261.

Punctuality of the busiest routes in 2025, from UK Civil Aviation Authority data (departures from UK airports).

RouteFlightsOn time3h+ lateCancelled
London Heathrow – Frankfurt11,02278.1%0.14%1.81%
London Heathrow – Munich9,56677.2%0.11%1.60%
London Heathrow – Düsseldorf5,45980.4%0.16%1.00%
London Heathrow – Berlin4,85179.9%0.22%1.72%
London Heathrow – Hamburg4,61276.0%0.15%1.26%
London Heathrow – Stuttgart3,25377.0%0.24%1.36%
London City – Frankfurt2,92178.8%0.24%1.85%
London Heathrow – Cologne2,91076.0%0.13%1.42%
Manchester – Frankfurt2,78769.2%0.25%1.14%
Birmingham – Frankfurt2,45875.6%0.16%1.05%
London Stansted – Berlin2,40274.0%0.37%0.33%
Manchester – Munich2,33165.5%0.29%2.02%
London City – Berlin2,18478.5%0.05%0.73%
London Stansted – Cologne2,01369.4%0.15%0.10%
London Gatwick – Berlin1,88077.1%0.32%2.03%
Edinburgh – Frankfurt1,84172.5%0.11%1.39%
Manchester – Berlin1,78465.4%0.72%1.65%
London Heathrow – Hanover1,47081.9%0.20%1.47%
Manchester – Düsseldorf1,41477.1%0.00%1.26%
London Stansted – Frankfurt1,22667.0%0.33%0.00%

Busiest European routes

Why flights to Germany are delayed

In 2025, air traffic flow restrictions held back arrivals at Germany’s airports by 0.42 minutes per flight on average (EUROCONTROL, 15 airports). The worst month was Jul.

Causes of air traffic flow delay (2025)

  • weather71%
  • aerodrome capacity10%
  • equipment (ATC)5%
  • ATC staffing5%
  • ATC capacity5%
  • other3%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Weather and air traffic control restrictions are usually extraordinary circumstances – but the airline must show they caused your delay. Check what happened on your travel day.

Strikes

  • 2026-11-15: Lufthansa pilots (Vereinigung Cockpit) – Lufthansa (watch)

Germany has no fixed notice period for strikes: Verdi warning strikes at airports, and Lufthansa crew strikes, are often announced only one or two days ahead. There is no statutory minimum service. Strikes are only lawful during open disputes, because a collective agreement carries a peace obligation – for ground handling, an April 2025 arbitration result rules out strikes until March 2027.

Strikes in Germany · Strike calendar

Where to complain

  1. The airline first – in writing, with your booking reference. Use our complaint letter generator.
  2. National enforcement body: Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) – National Enforcement Body Air Passenger Rights – Online complaint forms in German and English..
  3. Dispute resolution: Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp) for airlines that are members – free for consumers, ending in a non-binding recommendation. For airlines that are not members of a private scheme, the Federal Office of Justice’s Schlichtungsstelle Luftverkehr: usually free for the passenger, but you must claim from the airline first and wait two months (unless it rejects the claim sooner); its proposal is not binding.
  4. From the UK: if you flew from a UK airport or with a UK airline, you can also use UK ADR, the CAA or the small claims court.

Time limit: 3 years, running from the end of the year in which the claim arose (BGB §§ 195, 199) – so a flight in March 2024 can be claimed until 31 December 2027. The Federal Court of Justice confirmed this applies to EU261 claims, including package-holiday flights (BGH X ZR 62/23, 4 June 2024).

Tips for flying to Germany

  • German strikes come at short notice, so make sure your phone number and e-mail are in your booking.
  • A strike by Lufthansa’s own pilots or cabin crew usually means compensation is due; a Verdi strike by airport or security staff usually does not – but care and a refund or re-routing are owed either way.
  • If the airline is not in the private conciliation scheme, the Federal Office of Justice’s conciliation body requires you to wait two months after claiming from the airline before applying.
  • German limitation runs to 31 December three years after the year of the flight, which makes older flights easy to check.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data Frankfurt had the highest average arrival flow-control delay of Germany’s airports, mostly weather-related, peaking in July.

Frequently asked questions

Am I covered on a flight to Germany?

From anywhere in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, yes: EU261 covers every departing flight, whatever the airline – €250–€400 per passenger on typical routes if you arrive 3 hours or more late. From the UK, UK261 covers every departing flight (£220). From outside Europe you are covered only on an EU airline.

Am I covered on the flight home from Germany?

Germany applies EU261 to every departing flight, so you are covered with any airline (€250–€400 on typical routes).

Who enforces passenger rights in Germany?

Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) – National Enforcement Body Air Passenger Rights – Online complaint forms in German and English.. Complain to the airline first; if it rejects you or does not answer, you can turn to this body. All national enforcement bodies.

Are strikes covered?

It depends whose staff are on strike. Air traffic control or airport strikes are usually extraordinary circumstances; strikes by the airline’s own staff are not (CJEU C-28/20). See strikes and compensation.

Data: Eurostat 2024, EUROCONTROL, UK Civil Aviation Authority 2025. Information only, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. National enforcement bodies under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (updated 13 October 2026) – European Commission
  2. Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr – Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr e.V.
  3. Schlichtungsstelle Luftverkehr – Fragen und Antworten – Bundesamt für Justiz
  4. BGB § 195 – regular limitation period – Bundesministerium der Justiz
  5. BGH X ZR 62/23: kurze Verjährung gilt nicht für Fluggastrechte – beck-aktuell
  6. Tarifstreit: Weitere Flughafenstreiks wird es bis März 2027 nicht geben (29 April 2025) – Handelsblatt
  7. One-day strike at 13 German airports brings most flights to a halt (10 March 2025) – AP via WUNC
  8. Judgment C-28/20 Airhelp v SAS (23 March 2021) – strikes by the airline’s own staff – Court of Justice of the EU
  9. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  10. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  11. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  12. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  13. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  14. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  15. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  16. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority

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