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Flights to Poland: delays, cancellations and your rights

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Poland’s busiest airports were Warsaw Chopin, Kraków, Gdańsk, Katowice and Wrocław. LOT Polish Airlines has its hub at Warsaw Chopin, and Wizz Air has bases in Warsaw and Katowice. EU261 covers every departure from Poland, whatever the airline, and flights to Poland 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: Flying to Poland 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–£350 under UK261. On the way home, EU261 covers every flight leaving Poland.

Your rights each way

DirectionRulesCovered airlines3h+ delay / late cancellation
Another EU/EEA country or Switzerland → PolandEU261any airline€250–€400
Poland → another EU/EEA country or SwitzerlandEU261any airline€250–€400
UK → PolandUK261any airline£220–£350
Poland → UKEU261any airline€250–€400
Outside Europe → PolandEU261only 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 Poland or flying from there? See how to claim in Poland.

Check your flight to or from Poland

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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 Poland

AirportPassengers 2024*ATFM delay per arrival 2025Main cause
Warsaw Chopin (WAW)16,447,9040.61 minaerodrome capacity (55%)
Kraków (KRK)9,372,5100.81 minweather (85%)
Gdańsk (GDN)6,079,5140.00 min–
Katowice (KTW)4,719,4320.20 minequipment (ATC) (82%)
Wrocław Copernicus (WRO)4,001,9811.13 minaerodrome capacity (91%)
Poznań (POZ)3,037,6720.00 minATC staffing (100%)
Warsaw Modlin (WMI)2,637,8400.01 minairspace management (49%)
Rzeszów (RZE)805,5400.19 minairspace management (41%)
Szczecin (SZZ)435,4610.00 min–
Łódź Władysław Reymont (LCJ)388,7760.00 minequipment (ATC) (100%)
Lublin (LUZ)379,2000.15 minairspace management (70%)
Bydgoszcz (BZG)330,4750.00 min–
Nowe Kramsko (IEG)–0.00 min–
Szymany (SZY)–0.00 min–
Radom (RDO)–0.00 min–

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

Routes from the UK to Poland

From the UK: in the CAA’s 2025 data the busiest Polish destinations from UK airports were Kraków, Warsaw Chopin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań and Katowice. Flights departing from Poland are covered by EU261 whatever the airline; flights from the UK to Poland by UK261; flights from Poland 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 – Warsaw4,18074.1%0.21%0.55%
London Luton – Warsaw2,12374.8%0.42%0.19%
London Stansted – Kraków2,04165.7%0.73%0.34%
London Gatwick – Kraków1,70472.9%0.46%0.87%
London Luton – Kraków1,65175.6%1.21%0.42%
Manchester – Kraków1,59260.5%1.19%0.69%
London Stansted – Gdańsk1,46081.4%0.07%0.00%
London Luton – Gdańsk1,41183.2%0.42%0.14%
London Stansted – Wrocław1,33268.4%0.15%0.37%
London Luton – Katowice1,28580.9%0.75%0.08%
London Luton – Lublin1,24979.7%0.40%0.24%
London Stansted – Poznań1,19276.1%0.08%0.08%
Bristol – Kraków1,18076.6%0.68%0.25%
London Stansted – Katowice1,17572.2%0.51%0.09%
Birmingham – Kraków1,06772.6%1.12%0.09%
Edinburgh – Kraków1,03468.9%0.77%0.58%

Busiest European routes

Why flights to Poland are delayed

In 2025, air traffic flow restrictions held back arrivals at Poland’s airports by 0.48 minutes per flight on average (EUROCONTROL, 15 airports). The worst month was Oct.

Causes of air traffic flow delay (2025)

  • weather45%
  • aerodrome capacity44%
  • equipment (ATC)4%
  • ATC capacity2%
  • other2%
  • airspace management1%

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

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

Strike calendar

Where to complain

  1. The airline first – in writing, with your booking reference. Use our complaint letter generator.
  2. National enforcement body: Civil Aviation Authority (ULC): Passengers’ Rights Ombudsman (complaints) and the President of the ULC (enforcement) – Online complaint form in Polish and English on pasazerlotniczy.ulc.gov.pl..
  3. Dispute resolution: The Passengers’ Rights Ombudsman at the President of the Civil Aviation Authority is registered as an ADR body for airline disputes: free for both sides, in writing in Polish or English, with a non-binding outcome.
  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.

Tips for flying to Poland

  • ECC Poland warns that the time limit for these claims in Poland is unclear – anywhere from one year to more than a decade depending on the applicable law – so claim as soon as you can.
  • The Ombudsman route is free and can be used in English, which makes it a realistic step before court for travellers who do not speak Polish.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data Wrocław and Kraków had the highest average arrival flow-control delays in Poland – at Kraków mostly weather, peaking in December.

Frequently asked questions

Am I covered on a flight to Poland?

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–£350). From outside Europe you are covered only on an EU airline.

Am I covered on the flight home from Poland?

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

Who enforces passenger rights in Poland?

Civil Aviation Authority (ULC): Passengers’ Rights Ombudsman (complaints) and the President of the ULC (enforcement) – Online complaint form in Polish and English on pasazerlotniczy.ulc.gov.pl.. 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. Rzecznik Praw Pasażerów przy Prezesie Urzędu Lotnictwa Cywilnego – ADR entry – European Commission – consumer redress
  3. Opóźniony lub odwołany lot – European Consumer Centre Poland
  4. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  5. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  6. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  7. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  8. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  9. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  10. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  11. 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.