In short: Madrid–Naples is 1,504 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €400 per passenger from Madrid and €400 from Naples. 295,661 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid → Naples | EU261 | any airline | €400 |
| Naples → Madrid | EU261 | any airline | €400 |
The amount depends only on distance (1,504 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 Madrid (MAD)
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, 215,420 flights arrived at MAD; 6,073 of them were held back this way, 2,264 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.45 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: 11 June 2025 – 4,547 minutes, mostly weather; 4 January 2025 – 4,228 minutes, mostly weather; 5 May 2025 – 4,187 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 170,154 arrivals, 0.35 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (69%) and ATC capacity (14%).
Check what happened at MAD on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (53% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (28%) 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 Naples (NAP)
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, 45,721 flights arrived at NAP; 4,816 of them were held back this way, 2,444 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 2.34 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: 9 June 2025 – 8,788 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC); 10 June 2025 – 4,633 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC); 25 September 2025 – 3,976 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC).
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 37,729 arrivals, 0.89 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly environmental issues (77%) and weather (6%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for NAP since 2024: 10 April 2026 (577 min).
Check what happened at NAP on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (27% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (25%) 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
- Madrid – Palma de Mallorca2,206,891 pax
- Madrid – Barcelona2,036,488 pax
- Madrid – Rome1,979,946 pax
- Madrid – Gran Canaria1,970,045 pax
- Madrid – Lisbon1,906,228 pax
- Madrid – Tenerife1,785,863 pax
- Madrid – Paris1,585,160 pax
- Madrid – Amsterdam1,229,639 pax
- Madrid – Paris1,058,228 pax
- Madrid – Porto1,042,503 pax
- Madrid – Brussels1,014,125 pax
- Madrid – Ibiza961,479 pax
- Madrid – Milan957,358 pax
- Madrid – Frankfurt908,421 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Madrid–Naples flight?
The great-circle distance is 1,504 km. From Madrid: €400 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Naples: €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 Madrid–Naples 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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