In short: Bologna–Malta is 1,004 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Bologna and €250 from Malta. 100,938 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bologna → Malta | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Malta → Bologna | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (1,004 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
- 2026-11-20, 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 Bologna (BLQ)
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, 42,121 flights arrived at BLQ; 113 of them were held back this way, 48 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.05 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: 30 December 2025 – 295 minutes, mostly weather; 24 January 2025 – 275 minutes, mostly weather; 27 July 2025 – 230 minutes, mostly environmental issues.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 33,209 arrivals, 0.40 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly environmental issues (71%) and industrial action (ATC) (13%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for BLQ since 2024: 24 January 2024 (112 min); 10 April 2026 (1,364 min); 30 September 2026 (307 min).
Check what happened at BLQ on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (41% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (1%) 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 Malta (MLA)
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, 36,976 flights arrived at MLA; 708 of them were held back this way, 121 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.18 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: 16 October 2025 – 829 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 27 September 2025 – 417 minutes, mostly other; 26 September 2025 – 214 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 31,127 arrivals, 0.30 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly other (35%) and aerodrome capacity (29%).
Check what happened at MLA on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (9% 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
- Bologna – Catania618,424 pax
- Bologna – Tirana475,845 pax
- Malta – Rome464,565 pax
- Bologna – Barcelona462,133 pax
- Malta – Catania357,155 pax
- Bologna – Palermo338,567 pax
- Bologna – Istanbul326,193 pax
- Bologna – Paris292,797 pax
- Bologna – Madrid292,483 pax
- Malta – Munich275,119 pax
- Bologna – Bucharest269,508 pax
- Malta – Frankfurt263,642 pax
- Bologna – Frankfurt246,467 pax
- Bologna – Brindisi241,779 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Bologna–Malta flight?
The great-circle distance is 1,004 km. From Bologna: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Malta: €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 Bologna–Malta 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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