In short: Venice–Lyon is 565 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Venice and €250 from Lyon. 124,239 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venice → Lyon | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Lyon → Venice | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (565 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
- 2026-11-20, Italy: general strike (CGIL), also affecting air transport (announced)
- 2026-11-21, Italy: ENAV air traffic controllers (FILT-CGIL, UGL-TA) (announced)
- 2026-11-22, Italy: ENAV controllers at Malpensa (Fast-Confsal); Sicuritalia IVRI security staff at Venice Marco Polo (Fisascat-Cisl) (announced)
- 2026-11-22, Italy: Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta staff (USB Lavoro Privato) (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 Venice (VCE)
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, 43,773 flights arrived at VCE; 100 of them were held back this way, 76 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.10 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: 15 May 2025 – 2,710 minutes, mostly other; 17 May 2025 – 763 minutes, mostly weather; 29 May 2025 – 563 minutes, mostly other.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 36,850 arrivals, 0.21 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly aerodrome capacity (80%) and weather (17%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for VCE since 2024: 5 July 2024 (1,443 min); 10 April 2026 (172 min).
Check what happened at VCE on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (26% 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 Lyon (LYS)
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, 46,851 flights arrived at LYS; 24 of them were held back this way, 8 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: 1 September 2025 – 206 minutes, mostly ATC capacity; 4 May 2025 – 114 minutes, mostly equipment (ATC); 13 June 2025 – 90 minutes, mostly ATC capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 34,571 arrivals, 0.00 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for LYS since 2024: 10 September 2025 (31 min).
Check what happened at LYS on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (89%), ATC strikes (6%) 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
- Venice – Paris696,348 pax
- Venice – Madrid581,316 pax
- Lyon – Paris559,818 pax
- Venice – Barcelona540,106 pax
- Venice – Amsterdam457,522 pax
- Venice – Catania447,189 pax
- Venice – Rome394,768 pax
- Venice – Paris387,539 pax
- Venice – Frankfurt377,837 pax
- Lyon – Bordeaux369,338 pax
- Venice – Vienna335,733 pax
- Lyon – Nantes332,435 pax
- Lyon – Lisbon321,603 pax
- Venice – Naples317,679 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Venice–Lyon flight?
The great-circle distance is 565 km. From Venice: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Lyon: €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 Venice–Lyon 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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