In short: Istanbul–Catania is 1,247 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Istanbul (only an EU airline) and €250 from Catania. 176,461 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul → Catania | EU261 | only an EU airline | €250 |
| Catania → Istanbul | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (1,247 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 Istanbul (IST)
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, 272,054 flights arrived at IST; 340 of them were held back this way, 268 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: 27 October 2025 – 7,037 minutes, mostly weather; 1 February 2025 – 2,104 minutes, mostly weather; 30 December 2025 – 1,485 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 204,861 arrivals, 0.06 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (96%) and aerodrome capacity (4%).
Check what happened at IST on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (99% 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 Catania (CTA)
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, 40,764 flights arrived at CTA; 425 of them were held back this way, 220 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.25 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 July 2025 – 1,720 minutes, mostly other; 3 May 2025 – 1,468 minutes, mostly special event; 4 May 2025 – 1,174 minutes, mostly special event.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 30,703 arrivals, 0.50 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly other (69%) and aerodrome capacity (17%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for CTA since 2024: 10 April 2026 (50 min).
Check what happened at CTA on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (38%) 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
- Catania – Rome1,941,657 pax
- Istanbul – Izmir1,899,873 pax
- Istanbul – Antalya1,743,262 pax
- Istanbul – Ankara1,497,202 pax
- Istanbul – Paris1,010,453 pax
- Istanbul – Athens981,717 pax
- Catania – Milan946,877 pax
- Catania – Milan915,816 pax
- Istanbul – Amsterdam866,371 pax
- Istanbul – Frankfurt844,658 pax
- Istanbul – Gaziantep825,761 pax
- Istanbul – Kayseri783,129 pax
- Istanbul – Bodrum777,807 pax
- Istanbul – Milan774,884 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Istanbul–Catania flight?
The great-circle distance is 1,247 km. From Istanbul: €250 per passenger (EU261, only an EU airline). From Catania: €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 Istanbul–Catania flight covered if the airline is not European?
Departures from an EU or UK airport are covered with any airline. From Istanbul (Turkey) you are covered only on an EU-licensed airline flying into the EU (or a UK/EU airline into the UK).
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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