Madrid-Barajas flight compensation
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Quick answer
Every flight departing Madrid-Barajas is covered by Regulation 261/2004; inbound flights from outside the EU are covered on EU airlines such as Iberia and Air Europa. Madrid–Buenos Aires and Madrid–New York pay €600, Madrid–Canary Islands €400, Madrid–Barcelona or Madrid–Lisbon €250. Spain's enforcement body, AESA, issues decisions that bind airlines, making Madrid departures among the most enforceable claims in Europe.
Rules for flights departing Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport
Every flight departing from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, regardless of the airline.
Flights into Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.
Location: MAD / LEMD · 40.4934, -3.5722 · Spain
Care and re-routing when leaving Madrid
Delayed at the gate: meals, refreshments and two calls or e-mails from 2 h of delay on flights up to 1,500 km, 3 h up to 3,500 km (and on every intra-EU flight over 1,500 km), 4 h beyond — plus a hotel and transport when the departure moves to the next day. Owed whatever the cause.
Cancelled or denied boarding: the choice between a refund of the unused ticket within 7 days and re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your choosing, with care while you wait.
Delayed 5 h or more: you may give up the journey and take a full refund of the unused ticket, with a return flight to your departure point if the trip has lost its purpose.
Madrid-Barajas is the gateway between Europe and Latin America and the busiest Spanish departure point. Spain is the strongest enforcement jurisdiction in the EU: AESA acts as an accredited dispute body and its decisions on these claims bind the airline, which makes a refusal on a Madrid departure unusually worth escalating.
Enforcement body
Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA)
Since 2023 AESA issues binding ADR decisions for flights covered by Regulation 261/2004.
Example routes from Madrid
- Buenos Aires (EZE) · 10,087 km€600
- New York (JFK) · 5,761 km€600
- Gran Canaria (LPA) · 1,766 km€400
- Barcelona (BCN) · 483 km€250
- Lisbon (LIS) · 513 km€250
- London (LHR) · 1,244 km€250
- Paris (CDG) · 1,062 km€250
- Mexico City (MEX) · 9,065 km€600
Can I claim compensation for a flight from Madrid?
EU261 applies to every airline on this route: €250–€600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding, unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance. Refund, re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
Does this apply to your flight?
Flying from Madrid?
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Already known from this page
- From Madrid (MAD)
What happened to your flight?
Madrid-specific issues
Madrid is the gateway between Europe and Latin America. Iberia and Air Europa are EU carriers, so their inbound long-haul flights from Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Lima, Mexico City or São Paulo are covered (€600). Flights on LATAM, Avianca or Aeroméxico into Madrid are not.
Delays at Madrid are most often attributed to ATC restrictions on French overflights and to rotation delays. Iberia’s ground-handling subsidiary strikes are internal to the Iberia group and are not extraordinary.
AESA: binding decisions
Since 2023, AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea) is an accredited ADR body as well as the national enforcement body. For flights departing Spain, its decisions on Regulation 261/2004 claims are binding on the airline. File the claim with AESA after the airline has refused or failed to answer within a month; the procedure is free and handled online.
Airlines at Madrid
Iberia (and Iberia Express, Air Nostrum), Air Europa, Ryanair, Vueling, easyJet Europe, Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, LATAM, Avianca, American, Delta, Emirates.
Escalation
- Claim from the airline in writing.
- AESA (binding decision) for Spanish departures.
- Spanish courts within 5 years.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
- European Commission — DG MOVEAir passenger rights (including list of National Enforcement Bodies)
- European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
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