Wizz Air delay & cancellation compensation

In short: On Wizz Air flights on every route you are entitled to €250–600 compensation for an arrival delay of more than 3 hours, a cancellation notified less than 14 days before departure, or involuntary denied boarding – unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. You can usually claim for flights up to 3 years back.

IATA code: W6
Headquarters: Budapest
Hub: Budapest (BUD), Bucharest (OTP), Warsaw (WAW), Katowice (KTW), London Luton (LTN), Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
Type: Low-cost
EU261 scope: all flights

Wizz Air flight delay: when is compensation due?

If your Wizz Air flight reached its final destination at least 3 hours late (counting from when the doors opened), and the cause was within the airline's control – a technical fault, staff shortage, a delay on the previous flight, a strike by its own staff – you are entitled to compensation. It is not due if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances (weather, an air traffic control strike, an airport closure). Read the full conditions here.

Typical Wizz Air routes: London Luton–Budapest, London Luton–Bucharest, London Luton–Warsaw Chopin, Rome Fiumicino–Budapest, Budapest–Tel Aviv, Budapest–Dubai.

Wizz Air flight cancellation: what are you entitled to?

If your flight is cancelled, Wizz Air must offer you a refund of the ticket price (within 7 days) or re-routing on the earliest available flight – including another airline's, if that is quicker. If you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure and the re-routing offered differed significantly from the original flight, you are also entitled to compensation. More on the 14-day rule.

How much compensation for a Wizz Air flight?

Flight distanceDelay on arrivalCompensation per passenger

Up to 1,500 km
e.g. London–Paris, Berlin–Rome, Dublin–Amsterdamover 3 hours€250UK261: £220

1,500–3,500 km, and every flight within the EU over 1,500 km
e.g. London–Athens, Frankfurt–Tenerife, Rome–Tel Avivover 3 hours€400UK261: £350

Over 3,500 km, to or from outside the EU
e.g. London–New York, Frankfurt–Dubai, Paris–Bangkokbetween 3 and 4 hours€300UK261: £260 (reduced by 50%)

Over 3,500 km, to or from outside the EUover 4 hours€600UK261: £520

How punctual was Wizz Air in the UK in 2025?

Wizz Air operated 57,887 flights at UK airports in 2025. 0.82% were 3 hours or more late and 0.34% were cancelled – see how that compares with the UK average below and in our UK delay statistics.

Flights operated: 57,887
On time (≤ 15 min late): 76.8%
3 hours or more late: 0.82%
Cancelled: 0.34%
Average delay: 14.7 min

Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics 2025 – departures and arrivals combined, measured against the schedule at the UK airport. How we use this data

UK airport	Flights	On time	3 h+ late	Cancelled
London Luton	38,873	79.1%	0.82%	0.34%
London Gatwick	14,479	70.6%	0.83%	0.28%
Liverpool John Lennon	1,691	84.6%	0.35%	0.29%
Birmingham	1,191	66.8%	0.92%	0.75%
Leeds Bradford	1,011	76.5%	1.18%	1.08%
Aberdeen	342	79.7%	2.03%	0.58%
Glasgow	290	74.3%	0.34%	0.68%

What to know when claiming from Wizz Air

You can submit a claim through Wizz Air's own claim form (you need to log in to a WIZZ account; Wizz says it may take up to 30 days to reply), but in practice the first answer is often a standard rejection citing ‘extraordinary circumstances’. It is worth asking the airline in writing for the exact cause of the delay.
Check the flight number prefix in the Wizz Air group: W6 (Wizz Air Hungary), W4 (Wizz Air Malta) and W9 (Wizz Air UK) are separate legal entities. The claim must be made against the operating carrier, but for the calculator the flight number is enough.
On flights of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W), which closed in September 2025, EU261 only applied to the leg departing the EU; claims for earlier flights can still be submitted within the limitation period.

Typical rejection reasons – and how to answer them

‘Air traffic control restriction’ – ask for proof; it can be checked against Eurocontrol data.
‘Technical fault’ – according to the Court of Justice of the EU (C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann), ordinary technical faults are not extraordinary circumstances.
‘The delay was less than 3 hours’ – what counts is the time the doors opened on arrival, not the landing time.

About Wizz Air

Wizz Air Hungary Zrt. was founded in Budapest and is the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe. The group also includes Wizz Air Malta and Wizz Air UK; its Abu Dhabi subsidiary (Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, 5W) ceased operations on 1 September 2025. Wizz Air links Central and Eastern Europe with the UK, Western Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The Wizz Air fleet consists solely of Airbus A320-family aircraft, and under its point-to-point model a single aircraft flies 4–6 rotations a day. This means a technical fault or crew delay in the morning can grow into a delay of more than 3 hours by the evening. These knock-on delays are the most common valid claims.

Because every member of the Wizz Air group is registered in the EU (Hungary, Malta) or in the United Kingdom, EU Regulation 261/2004 (or the British UK261) applies to all its flights, whatever the country of departure or arrival.

Wizz Air is made up of several airlines (W6 Hungary, W4 Malta, W9 UK) – which rules apply to which is explained here: Wizz Air Hungary, Malta or UK?

How to claim directly from Wizz Air

Official online form: wizzair.com
Postal address: Wizz Air Hungary Zrt. (registered office), 1095 Budapest, Lechner Ödön fasor 6.
The claim form requires you to log in to a WIZZ account (also reachable via ‘Make a claim’ in the Help Centre). Wizz Air says it replies within 30 days; you can follow the claim in your account. UK ADR: AviationADR member.
Our complaint letter generator writes the letter for you – filled in, as a printable PDF.

We checked these claim channels on the airline's own website (10 November 2026).

Frequently asked questions

Am I entitled to compensation if my Wizz Air flight was at least 3 hours late?

Yes, if the flight departed from anywhere (it is an EU airline) and the delay was not caused by extraordinary circumstances. The amount depends on the distance: €250, €400 or €600.

How do I submit a claim to Wizz Air?

Directly through the airline's customer service form (https://www.wizzair.com/en-gb/information-and-services/compliments-and-complaints), or through our partner AirHelp, which checks the flight data and, if the airline rejects the claim, takes the case to the enforcement body or to court – for a fee of 35% only if it succeeds.

How long do I have to claim for a Wizz Air flight?

Limitation periods vary by country and are set by national law – for example 6 years in England & Wales, 5 years in Scotland and Hungary, and 3 years in Germany (from the end of the year). AirHelp typically accepts claims for flights up to 3 years old.

Wizz Air offered me a voucher instead of compensation. Do I have to accept it?

No. Under the Regulation, compensation is paid in money; the airline may only give you a voucher with your written agreement. If you want money, do not accept it.

Flew with another airline?

The Wizz Air name and trademark belong to their owner; EU261 Flight Delay is an independent information site with no connection to the airline. The content is for information only and is not legal advice. We receive a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links succeeds.

Sources

Wizz Air – official claim / complaints page – Wizz Air
UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex
Delays and cancellations – your rights – UK Civil Aviation Authority

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.

Wizz Air flight delay and cancellation compensation