In short: Paris–Hamburg is 728 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Paris and €250 from Hamburg. 394,895 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris → Hamburg | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Hamburg → Paris | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (728 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
- 2026-11-15, Germany: Lufthansa pilots (Vereinigung Cockpit) (watch)
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 Paris (CDG)
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, 239,863 flights arrived at CDG; 11,313 of them were held back this way, 5,046 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.93 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: 5 December 2025 – 14,675 minutes, mostly weather; 22 November 2025 – 12,305 minutes, mostly weather; 9 November 2025 – 9,665 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 180,891 arrivals, 0.76 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (53%) and aerodrome capacity (21%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for CDG since 2024: 25 April 2024 (66 min); 10 September 2025 (319 min); 18 September 2025 (840 min); 29 September 2026 (720 min).
Check what happened at CDG on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (56% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (14%), ATC strikes (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 Hamburg (HAM)
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, 60,910 flights arrived at HAM; 62 of them were held back this way, 14 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.01 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: 3 January 2025 – 203 minutes, mostly weather; 3 December 2025 – 165 minutes, mostly ATC staffing; 22 October 2025 – 141 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 45,238 arrivals, 0.09 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly aerodrome capacity (82%) and weather (16%).
Check what happened at HAM on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (32% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (32%) 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
- Paris – Barcelona1,291,815 pax
- Hamburg – Munich1,281,439 pax
- Paris – Amsterdam1,125,321 pax
- Paris – Nice1,106,876 pax
- Hamburg – Frankfurt1,083,599 pax
- Paris – Madrid1,058,228 pax
- Paris – Istanbul1,010,453 pax
- Hamburg – Palma de Mallorca981,194 pax
- Paris – Rome967,603 pax
- Paris – Milan898,970 pax
- Paris – Copenhagen841,207 pax
- Paris – Munich830,158 pax
- Paris – Athens807,564 pax
- Paris – Toulouse786,675 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Paris–Hamburg flight?
The great-circle distance is 728 km. From Paris: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Hamburg: €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 Paris–Hamburg 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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