Flight Delayed or Cancelled in Spain? EU261 Rights at Madrid, Barcelona and the Islands
Spain is one of the busiest holiday markets in Europe, with mainland hubs, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. EU261 applies to every flight departing Spain and to EU airlines flying in from outside the EU. Prefer Spanish? Read our EU261 guide in Spanish.
Main airports and airlines in Spain
Madrid-Barajas (MAD) is the hub of Iberia and Air Europa, and Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) is the base of Vueling. Busy airports include Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Málaga (AGP), Alicante (ALC), Ibiza (IBZ), Valencia (VLC), Seville (SVQ) and Bilbao (BIO). In the Canaries, Gran Canaria (LPA), Tenerife South (TFS) and Tenerife North (TFN) are served by Binter and many others. Volotea and Air Nostrum also fly widely.
When EU261 applies to flights in Spain
EU261, the EU's air passenger rights law, generally applies when:
- You depart from an airport in Spain, on any airline. So a Latin American airline departing Madrid is covered, as is every Ryanair or Vueling flight from Spain.
- You fly into Spain from outside the EU on an airline licensed in the EU. An Iberia flight into Madrid from Mexico City is covered.
The Canary Islands are part of the EU, so flights between them and the mainland are treated as flights within the EU.
Delays: care, re-routing and refunds
The airline must offer care (food and drink, two calls or emails, and a hotel with transfers if an overnight stay is needed) after a 2-hour delay on flights up to 1,500 km (Madrid to Barcelona, about 480 km), 3 hours on flights within the EU over 1,500 km or other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km (Madrid to Tenerife North, about 1,770 km), and 4 hours on longer flights (Madrid to Mexico City, about 9,070 km). If the delay reaches 5 hours, you may give up the trip and request a refund. For a cancellation, the airline must let you pick a refund or re-routing.
The fixed amounts in the regulation
EU261 also lists fixed amounts tied to distance, not ticket price: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. They are relevant when you reach your final destination 3+ hours late, your flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you are bumped. The airline can halve the €600 amount in some cases when arrival is within 4 hours of schedule. What applies to you depends on the facts.
Extraordinary circumstances and local disruptions
An airline can refuse the fixed amounts if it proves extraordinary circumstances: events beyond its control, like dangerous weather, ATC decisions or strikes, or security alerts. Ordinary technical problems and walkouts by its own employees have generally not qualified at the EU Court of Justice. Meals and hotels are still required. French ATC strikes often hit flights from Spain to the UK, Ireland and northern Europe, because those routes cross French airspace. ATC strikes are generally treated as extraordinary. Summer peaks at island airports also cause delays, and ordinary congestion is not automatically extraordinary.
Where to complain in Spain
Write to the airline first and keep a copy. If that does not resolve it, contact the national enforcement body in the country where the problem happened. Spain's national enforcement body is the Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA), Passenger Rights Division, in Madrid. Complaints go through its online form: seguridadaerea.gob.es. Information is also available in Spanish on our EU261 page.
Coming in 2027: Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 amends EU261. Most changes apply from 23 October 2027, including a general nine-month deadline for compensation requests. Until then, the current rules above apply.
FAQ
Is a flight from Tenerife to Madrid covered by EU261? Yes. The Canary Islands are part of the EU, so the flight departs from an EU airport.
My flight from Palma to London was delayed by a French ATC strike. What applies? EU261 applies because the flight left Spain. Care applies, but the fixed amounts usually do not, because ATC strikes are generally extraordinary.
Who enforces EU261 in Spain? AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea). Our Spanish-language EU261 guide explains the steps in Spanish.
Related guides
- Guía EU261 en español
- Flight cancelled: your options
- Missed connection guide
- All Europe flight delay guides
Create your letter
Delay Draft writes a clear letter you send to the airline yourself ($9.99 for 1 to 2 travelers, $24.99 for 3 to 6). We are not a law firm and do not file claims for you. Questions: claims@delaydraft.com.