Routes / LIS–HEL
3,364 km great circle · Within the EU, over 1,500 km
Lisbon LIS to Helsinki HEL delay compensation
Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport to Helsinki Vantaa Airport is 3,364 km by great circle, Portugal to Finland. Under EU261 that is €400 per passenger (flights within the EU over 1,500 km), and under UK261 £350, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Lisbon LIS
- 2Helsinki HEL
- 3Great circle 3,364 km
- 4EU261 intra-EU €400
Which rules cover LIS–HEL
Lisbon → 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.
Helsinki → Lisbon
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 £350.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at HEL (or LIS 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 |
Lisbon and Helsinki are both in the EU and 3,364 km apart, so the intra-EU rule applies: a flat €400 from 3 hours late, with no long-haul reduction.
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 Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (38.7813, -9.13592) and Helsinki Vantaa Airport (60.318363, 24.963341) that is 3,364 km. That is only 136 km below the 3,500 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 6 routes on this site in the within the EU, over 1,500 km band, it is number 2 by length.
Other routes from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LPPT) on this site: Newark (5,433 km).
Other routes from Helsinki Vantaa Airport (EFHK) on this site: London (1,848 km), Tenerife (4,742 km).
If LIS–HEL 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 Portugal or Finland (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (PT); OurAirports country file (FI). 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.