In short: Riga–Tampere / Pirkkala is 500 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Riga and €250 from Tampere / Pirkkala. 67,150 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riga → Tampere / Pirkkala | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Tampere / Pirkkala → Riga | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (500 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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Air traffic flow delays at Riga (RIX)
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, 31,417 flights arrived at RIX; 8 of them were held back this way, 1 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.00 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: 18 December 2025 – 61 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 24,283 arrivals, 0.01 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (75%) and ATC capacity (25%).
Check what happened at RIX on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (100% 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
- Riga – Helsinki393,826 pax
- Riga – Stockholm323,634 pax
- Riga – Tallinn303,840 pax
- Riga – Frankfurt275,712 pax
- Riga – Oslo256,335 pax
- Riga – Vilnius254,505 pax
- Riga – Vienna230,913 pax
- Riga – Berlin227,176 pax
- Riga – Copenhagen213,288 pax
- Riga – Amsterdam212,510 pax
- Riga – Istanbul173,996 pax
- Riga – Antalya155,394 pax
- Riga – Munich139,699 pax
- Riga – Paris130,701 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Riga–Tampere / Pirkkala flight?
The great-circle distance is 500 km. From Riga: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Tampere / Pirkkala: €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 Riga–Tampere / Pirkkala 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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