In short: Amsterdam–Milan is 797 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Amsterdam and €250 from Milan. 538,161 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam → Milan | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Milan → Amsterdam | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (797 km, measured as the great circle between the airports) – not on the ticket price – and is paid per passenger, children included. Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must provide care (meals, drinks, a hotel overnight), and after a cancellation you choose between a refund or re-routing.
Check your Amsterdam–Milan flight
Two minutes, free, no sign-up.
Strikes that could affect this route
- 2026-11-20, Italy: general strike (CGIL), also affecting air transport (announced)
- 2026-11-21, Italy: ENAV air traffic controllers (FILT-CGIL, UGL-TA) (announced)
- 2026-11-22, Italy: ENAV controllers at Malpensa (Fast-Confsal); Sicuritalia IVRI security staff at Venice Marco Polo (Fisascat-Cisl) (announced)
- 2026-11-22, Italy: Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta staff (USB Lavoro Privato) (announced)
Strikes by air traffic controllers or airport staff usually count as extraordinary circumstances; strikes by the airline’s own staff usually do not. Strike calendar.
Air traffic flow delays at Amsterdam (AMS)
EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 246,511 flights arrived at AMS; 75,710 of them were held back this way, 22,913 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 4.83 minutes per arrival.
What caused the ATFM delay
Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Worst days: 17 January 2025 – 33,733 minutes, mostly weather; 15 January 2025 – 24,827 minutes, mostly weather; 4 October 2025 – 24,295 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 180,520 arrivals, 2.82 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (53%) and aerodrome capacity (46%).
Check what happened at AMS on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (49% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.
Air traffic flow delays at Milan (MXP)
EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 113,154 flights arrived at MXP; 1,777 of them were held back this way, 1,086 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.36 minutes per arrival.
What caused the ATFM delay
Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Worst days: 27 August 2025 – 1,860 minutes, mostly weather; 16 April 2025 – 1,608 minutes, mostly weather; 1 September 2025 – 1,509 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 84,437 arrivals, 0.45 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly environmental issues (63%) and weather (19%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for MXP since 2024: 29 November 2024 (125 min); 15 December 2024 (776 min); 10 April 2026 (235 min); 5 July 2026 (748 min).
Check what happened at MXP on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (48% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.
Other routes from these airports
- Amsterdam – Barcelona1,560,944 pax
- Amsterdam – Dublin1,297,903 pax
- Milan – Barcelona1,287,761 pax
- Amsterdam – Madrid1,229,639 pax
- Amsterdam – Copenhagen1,159,509 pax
- Amsterdam – Paris1,125,321 pax
- Amsterdam – Lisbon1,045,272 pax
- Milan – Madrid957,358 pax
- Milan – Catania946,877 pax
- Amsterdam – Málaga912,593 pax
- Milan – Paris898,970 pax
- Amsterdam – Stockholm894,239 pax
- Amsterdam – Istanbul866,371 pax
- Amsterdam – Berlin827,957 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Amsterdam–Milan flight?
The great-circle distance is 797 km. From Amsterdam: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Milan: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). The delay at your final destination must be 3 hours or more, and the airline must not be able to prove extraordinary circumstances.
Is a Amsterdam–Milan flight covered if the airline is not European?
Yes. Both airports apply EU261 (or UK261) to every departing flight, so the airline’s nationality does not matter in either direction.
What if the flight was cancelled?
You can choose a refund or re-routing, get care while you wait, and – unless you were told at least 14 days before departure or the airline proves extraordinary circumstances – fixed compensation. Cancelled flight compensation.
Passenger numbers: Eurostat 2024 (passengers carried between the two airports, both directions). Delay data: EUROCONTROL. Information only, not legal advice.
Sources
- Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
- EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.