In short: Zurich–Bologna is 388 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €250 per passenger from Zurich and €250 from Bologna. 91,030 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich → Bologna | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
| Bologna → Zurich | EU261 | any airline | €250 |
The amount depends only on distance (388 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 Zurich (ZRH)
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, 133,877 flights arrived at ZRH; 19,525 of them were held back this way, 7,395 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 2.44 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: 9 May 2025 – 13,287 minutes, mostly weather; 6 April 2025 – 8,351 minutes, mostly weather; 2 April 2025 – 6,691 minutes, mostly weather.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 105,079 arrivals, 2.63 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly other (36%) and weather (34%).
Check what happened at ZRH on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (48% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (3%) 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 Bologna (BLQ)
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, 42,121 flights arrived at BLQ; 113 of them were held back this way, 48 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.05 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: 30 December 2025 – 295 minutes, mostly weather; 24 January 2025 – 275 minutes, mostly weather; 27 July 2025 – 230 minutes, mostly environmental issues.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 33,209 arrivals, 0.40 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly environmental issues (71%) and industrial action (ATC) (13%).
Air traffic control strike days recorded for BLQ since 2024: 24 January 2024 (112 min); 10 April 2026 (1,364 min); 30 September 2026 (307 min).
Check what happened at BLQ 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.
Other routes from these airports
- Zurich – Berlin861,501 pax
- Zurich – Amsterdam816,734 pax
- Zurich – Madrid760,806 pax
- Zurich – Vienna750,117 pax
- Zurich – Barcelona729,601 pax
- Zurich – Palma de Mallorca725,871 pax
- Zurich – Lisbon652,212 pax
- Bologna – Catania618,424 pax
- Zurich – Frankfurt610,719 pax
- Zurich – Hamburg585,980 pax
- Zurich – Paris559,861 pax
- Zurich – Athens529,937 pax
- Zurich – Pristina485,847 pax
- Bologna – Tirana475,845 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Zurich–Bologna flight?
The great-circle distance is 388 km. From Zurich: €250 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Bologna: €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 Zurich–Bologna 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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