In short: Lisbon–Porto is 277 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Lisbon and €250 from Porto. 755,832 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon → Porto | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Porto → Lisbon | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (277 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
- 2026-12-19–2026-12-23, Portugal: easyJet cabin crew based in Portugal (SNPVAC) (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 Lisbon (LIS)
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, 115,294 flights arrived at LIS; 16,625 of them were held back this way, 7,508 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 2.83 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 March 2025 – 8,826 minutes, mostly weather; 31 December 2025 – 8,444 minutes, mostly weather; 20 January 2025 – 6,909 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 87,320 arrivals, 1.86 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (56%) and aerodrome capacity (41%).
Check what happened at LIS on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (69% 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 Porto (OPO)
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, 56,319 flights arrived at OPO; 4,324 of them were held back this way, 2,790 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 2.45 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: 6 June 2025 – 7,259 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC); 30 May 2025 – 7,178 minutes, mostly weather; 3 October 2025 – 5,533 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 45,260 arrivals, 1.14 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (86%) and aerodrome capacity (7%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for OPO since 2024: 2 June 2026 (60 min).
Check what happened at OPO on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (73% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (14%) 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
- Lisbon – Madrid1,906,228 pax
- Lisbon – Paris1,545,371 pax
- Lisbon – Madeira1,395,044 pax
- Lisbon – Barcelona1,305,408 pax
- Porto – Paris1,139,251 pax
- Lisbon – Amsterdam1,045,272 pax
- Porto – Madrid1,042,503 pax
- Lisbon – Ponta Delgada934,111 pax
- Porto – Geneva820,413 pax
- Lisbon – Frankfurt733,217 pax
- Lisbon – Geneva724,294 pax
- Porto – Barcelona703,710 pax
- Lisbon – Milan664,606 pax
- Lisbon – Rome654,069 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Lisbon–Porto flight?
The great-circle distance is 277 km. From Lisbon: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Porto: €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 Lisbon–Porto 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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