In short: Athens–Paris is 2,107 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €400 per passenger from Athens and €400 from Paris. 288,448 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens → Paris | EU261 | any airline | €400 |
| Paris → Athens | EU261 | any airline | €400 |
The amount depends only on distance (2,107 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.
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Strikes that could affect this route
- 2026-11-25, Greece: public sector (ADEDY) (uncertain)
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 Athens (ATH)
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, 139,315 flights arrived at ATH; 43,556 of them were held back this way, 19,268 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 5.46 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: 26 May 2025 – 10,749 minutes, mostly ATC capacity; 17 April 2025 – 9,495 minutes, mostly ATC capacity; 28 November 2025 – 9,017 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 110,660 arrivals, 3.93 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly ATC capacity (85%) and aerodrome capacity (8%).
Check what happened at ATH on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (4% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (92%) 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 Paris (ORY)
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, 109,463 flights arrived at ORY; 5,234 of them were held back this way, 2,125 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.90 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: 29 August 2025 – 6,504 minutes, mostly weather; 18 May 2025 – 6,176 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC); 11 May 2025 – 3,757 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 82,854 arrivals, 1.20 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (39%) and aerodrome capacity (38%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for ORY since 2024: 25 April 2024 (1,246 min); 25 May 2024 (8,631 min); 26 May 2024 (6,188 min); 11 June 2024 (569 min); 5 December 2024 (920 min); 13 May 2025 (1,878 min).
Check what happened at ORY on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (52% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (30%), ATC strikes (2%) 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
- Athens – Thessaloniki1,649,094 pax
- Paris – Nice1,598,238 pax
- Paris – Madrid1,585,160 pax
- Paris – Lisbon1,545,371 pax
- Athens – Crete1,452,941 pax
- Athens – Santorini1,377,866 pax
- Athens – Larnaca1,365,755 pax
- Paris – Toulouse1,276,245 pax
- Paris – Rome1,185,444 pax
- Paris – Porto1,139,251 pax
- Paris – Barcelona1,129,008 pax
- Athens – Istanbul981,717 pax
- Athens – Rome898,550 pax
- Athens – Crete818,996 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Athens–Paris flight?
The great-circle distance is 2,107 km. From Athens: €400 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Paris: €400 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 Athens–Paris 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
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