In short: Budapest–Burgas is 844 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Budapest and €250 from Burgas. 38,312 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budapest → Burgas | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Burgas → Budapest | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (844 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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Air traffic flow delays at Budapest (BUD)
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, 69,107 flights arrived at BUD; 99 of them were held back this way, 52 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.04 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: 18 October 2025 – 1,775 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 1 December 2025 – 234 minutes, mostly weather; 2 January 2025 – 216 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 53,878 arrivals, 0.03 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (90%) and aerodrome capacity (10%).
Check what happened at BUD on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (27% 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
- Budapest – Istanbul518,108 pax
- Budapest – Frankfurt482,651 pax
- Budapest – Barcelona482,297 pax
- Budapest – Amsterdam443,100 pax
- Budapest – Milan425,606 pax
- Budapest – Madrid380,608 pax
- Budapest – Berlin360,756 pax
- Budapest – Copenhagen357,711 pax
- Budapest – Warsaw339,224 pax
- Budapest – Basel335,244 pax
- Budapest – Munich317,532 pax
- Budapest – Brussels301,684 pax
- Budapest – Paris281,528 pax
- Budapest – Athens276,080 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Budapest–Burgas flight?
The great-circle distance is 844 km. From Budapest: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Burgas: €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 Budapest–Burgas 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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