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Montpellier to Lille: flight delays and compensation

27,714 passengers travelled between Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport (MPL) and Lille Airport (LIL) in 2024, according to Eurostat. Here is what a delay or cancellation on this route is worth in each direction, which rules apply, and how often the two airports are hit by air traffic restrictions.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Montpellier–Lille is 780 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Montpellier and €250 from Lille. 27,714 passengers used the route in 2024.

What you can claim on this route

DirectionRulesCovered airlines3 h+ delay / late cancellation
Montpellier → LilleEU261any airline€250
Lille → MontpellierEU261any airline€250

The amount depends only on distance (780 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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What happened?Step 1 of 4

What happened to your flight?
Where did you fly from and to?

With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

How late did you arrive at your final destination?

What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

When were you told about the cancellation?
When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
Which airline operated the flight?
When was the flight?

How many passengers were on the booking?

1 passenger

Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Fee only if successful (35%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

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Air traffic flow delays at Montpellier (MPL)

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, 12,499 flights arrived at MPL; 1 of them were held back this way, 1 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.01 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • equipment (ATC)100%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Worst days: 26 November 2025 – 166 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC).

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 8,838 arrivals, 0.00 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025).

Check what happened at MPL on your travel day →

What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (100%) 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 Lille (LIL)

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, 7,361 flights arrived at LIL; 2 of them were held back this way, 2 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.01 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • aerodrome capacity61%
  • weather40%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Worst days: 1 October 2025 – 26 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 9 January 2025 – 17 minutes, mostly weather.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 5,823 arrivals, 0.00 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025).

Check what happened at LIL on your travel day →

What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (40% 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

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation for a delayed Montpellier–Lille flight?

The great-circle distance is 780 km. From Montpellier: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Lille: €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 Montpellier–Lille 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

  1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  2. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  3. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex

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