Routes / HEL–TFS
4,742 km great circle · Within the EU, over 1,500 km
Helsinki HEL to Tenerife TFS delay compensation
Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Tenerife Sur Airport is 4,742 km by great circle, Finland to Spain. Under EU261 that is €400 per passenger (flights within the EU over 1,500 km), and under UK261 £520, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Helsinki HEL
- 2Tenerife TFS
- 3Great circle 4,742 km
- 4EU261 intra-EU €400
Which rules cover HEL–TFS
Helsinki → Tenerife
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by EU261 (the flight departs from the EU (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On a UK airline it is also under UK261.
Tenerife → Helsinki
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by EU261 (the flight departs from the EU (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On a UK airline it is also under UK261.
Because both EU and UK rules can reach this route, a passenger may find two rules covering the same trip. Each excludes people already compensated under the other's law for the same event, so the claim is made once, under whichever the airline accepts — in money terms €400 or £520.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at TFS (or HEL on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | €0 | £0 |
| 3 h 30 min | €400 | £260 |
| 4 h 30 min | €400 | £520 |
| 6 h 30 min | €400 | £520 |
| 9 h 30 min | €400 | £520 |
At 4,742 km this is a long-haul flight, so the first hour of compensation is reduced: arriving 3 to 4 hours late pays €300 or £260, and the full €600/£520 starts at 4 hours.
The distance and the band
EU261 and UK261 measure distance "by the great circle route method" between the departure airport and the final destination. From the published coordinates of Helsinki Vantaa Airport (60.318363, 24.963341) and Tenerife Sur Airport (28.0445, -16.5725) that is 4,742 km. The nearest band boundary is 3,500 km, 1,242 km below this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 6 routes on this site in the within the EU, over 1,500 km band, it is number 1 by length.
Other routes from Helsinki Vantaa Airport (EFHK) on this site: London (1,848 km), Lisbon (3,364 km).
Other routes from Tenerife Sur Airport (GCTS) on this site: Manchester (3,048 km), Madrid (1,824 km).
If HEL–TFS is only one leg of your booking, measure to the final destination instead: a connection that makes you late at the end is compensated over the whole journey's distance.
If the flight is cancelled
Cancelled with less than 14 days' notice and re-routed to arrive 6 hours late, an EU261 passenger is owed €400 here. If the replacement left within the allowed early margin and landed within the re-routing window, nothing is owed; if it landed within 3 hours but outside those windows, the airline may pay half — €200. On a cancellation you may instead take a refund within 7 days.
Help at the airport while you wait
On a flight of this length, meals and refreshments are owed once the departure is 3 hours late under EU261 and UK261, and a hotel with transport if you have to stay overnight — whatever caused the delay. Keep receipts for anything you buy: it is claimed back separately from any compensation.
Claiming on this route
Claim from the operating airline directly — it costs nothing.
EU261: If the airline does not reply within two months, or the reply is unsatisfactory, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the incident happened.
UK261: If the airline's final answer is unsatisfactory, or it has not answered within eight weeks, go to the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body the airline belongs to, or to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if it belongs to none.
Claim pages of airlines based in Finland or Spain (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- Iberia: Rights of air passengers - Iberia
- Vueling: Claim and refunds (Vueling help)
- Finnair: Feedback and compensation (Finnair)
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (FI); OurAirports country file (ES). Rules: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex); UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk). Checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.