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Valencia to Lanzarote: flight delays and compensation

44,691 passengers travelled between Valencia Airport (VLC) and César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport (ACE) 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: Valencia–Lanzarote is 1,679 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €400 per passenger from Valencia and €400 from Lanzarote. 44,691 passengers used the route in 2024.

What you can claim on this route

DirectionRulesCovered airlines3 h+ delay / late cancellation
Valencia → LanzaroteEU261any airline€400
Lanzarote → ValenciaEU261any airline€400

The amount depends only on distance (1,679 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 Valencia–Lanzarote flight

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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 Valencia (VLC)

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, 44,115 flights arrived at VLC; 3 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

  • weather100%

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: 9 October 2025 – 4 minutes, mostly weather.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 34,920 arrivals, 0.02 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (89%) and accident/incident (11%).

Check what happened at VLC 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.

Air traffic flow delays at Lanzarote (ACE)

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, 35,990 flights arrived at ACE; 1,590 of them were held back this way, 828 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.99 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • weather82%
  • ATC capacity13%
  • equipment (ATC)3%
  • aerodrome capacity2%

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: 20 March 2025 – 3,147 minutes, mostly weather; 13 December 2025 – 3,124 minutes, mostly weather; 10 April 2025 – 2,065 minutes, mostly weather.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 26,631 arrivals, 0.78 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly weather (72%) and ATC capacity (16%).

Air traffic control strike days recorded for ACE since 2024: 16 August 2026 (45 min); 22 August 2026 (49 min); 23 August 2026 (57 min); 29 August 2026 (59 min); 30 August 2026 (121 min); 5 September 2026 (47 min); 19 September 2026 (65 min); 26 September 2026 (90 min) and 71 earlier.

Check what happened at ACE on your travel day →

What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (82% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (16%) 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 Valencia–Lanzarote flight?

The great-circle distance is 1,679 km. From Valencia: €400 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Lanzarote: €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 Valencia–Lanzarote 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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