In short: Warsaw–Venice is 971 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Warsaw and €250 from Venice. 88,585 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warsaw → Venice | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Venice → Warsaw | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (971 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 Warsaw (WAW)
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, 100,055 flights arrived at WAW; 3,824 of them were held back this way, 1,490 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.61 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: 20 October 2025 – 3,519 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 23 October 2025 – 3,415 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 26 September 2025 – 3,142 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 77,761 arrivals, 0.43 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (better than 2025), mainly aerodrome capacity (68%) and weather (32%).
Check what happened at WAW on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (41% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (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 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.
Other routes from these airports
- Venice – Paris696,348 pax
- Warsaw – Antalya657,567 pax
- Warsaw – Amsterdam599,357 pax
- Venice – Madrid581,316 pax
- Venice – Barcelona540,106 pax
- Warsaw – Paris539,232 pax
- Warsaw – Frankfurt527,543 pax
- Warsaw – Copenhagen461,356 pax
- Venice – Amsterdam457,522 pax
- Venice – Catania447,189 pax
- Warsaw – Vienna418,941 pax
- Warsaw – Rome408,713 pax
- Warsaw – Munich395,144 pax
- Venice – Rome394,768 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Warsaw–Venice flight?
The great-circle distance is 971 km. From Warsaw: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Venice: €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 Warsaw–Venice 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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