In short: Terceira–Horta is 144 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Terceira and €250 from Horta. 59,622 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terceira → Horta | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Horta → Terceira | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (144 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.
Check your Terceira–Horta flight
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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 Horta (HOR)
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, 2,815 flights arrived at HOR; 0 of them were held back this way, 0 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
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 2,213 arrivals, 0.00 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025).
Check what happened at HOR on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% 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
- Terceira – Lisbon320,984 pax
- Terceira – Ponta Delgada255,839 pax
- Terceira – Porto102,166 pax
- Horta – Ponta Delgada100,980 pax
- Horta – Lisbon93,758 pax
- Terceira – Velas68,935 pax
- Terceira – Santa Cruz da Graciosa61,194 pax
- Terceira – Pico Island60,837 pax
- Horta – Santa Cruz das Flores28,746 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Terceira–Horta flight?
The great-circle distance is 144 km. From Terceira: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Horta: €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 Terceira–Horta 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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