Routes / LGW–FAO
1,688 km great circle · 1,500 to 3,500 km
London LGW to Faro FAO delay compensation
London Gatwick Airport to Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport is 1,688 km by great circle, United Kingdom to Portugal. Under EU261 that is €400 per passenger, and under UK261 £350, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1London LGW
- 2Faro FAO
- 3Great circle 1,688 km
- 4EU261 band €400
Which rules cover LGW–FAO
London → Faro
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by UK261 (the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On an EU airline it is also under EU261.
Faro → London
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by EU261 (the flight departs from the EU (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On an EU airline or 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 £350.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at FAO (or LGW 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 | £350 |
| 4 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 6 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 9 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
At 1,688 km the amount is the same from 3 hours late onwards — there is no extra for longer delays under the EU and UK rules.
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 London Gatwick Airport (51.148744, -0.185739) and Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (37.015909, -7.970939) that is 1,688 km. That is only 188 km above the 1,500 km line between two bands, so this route sits close to a boundary: it is the distance between the two airports that counts, not the longer path the aircraft actually flew. Among the 12 routes on this site in the 1,500 to 3,500 km band, it is number 12 by length.
Other routes from London Gatwick Airport (EGKK) on this site: Barcelona (1,109 km).
Other routes from Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (LPFR) on this site: Dublin (1,830 km).
If LGW–FAO 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.
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.
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.
Claim pages of airlines based in United Kingdom or Portugal (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- TAP Air Portugal: Delays and cancellations (TAP)
- British Airways: Flight cancellation compensation (British Airways)
- easyJet: Delays and cancellations (easyJet)
- Virgin Atlantic: Claims for flight disruption (Virgin Atlantic)
- Jet2: Flight delay and cancellation claims (Jet2)
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (GB); OurAirports country file (PT). Rules: UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk); Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex). Checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.