Routes / MAD–BCN
483 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Madrid MAD to Barcelona BCN delay compensation
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport is 483 km by great circle, a domestic Spain route. Under EU261 that is €250 per passenger, and under UK261 £220, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Madrid MAD
- 2Barcelona BCN
- 3Great circle 483 km
- 4EU261 band €250
Which rules cover MAD–BCN
Madrid → Barcelona
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.
Barcelona → Madrid
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 €250 or £220.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at BCN (or MAD 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 | €250 | £220 |
| 4 h 30 min | €250 | £220 |
| 6 h 30 min | €250 | £220 |
| 9 h 30 min | €250 | £220 |
At 483 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 Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (40.493407, -3.572249) and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (41.2971, 2.07846) that is 483 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 1,017 km beyond this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 17 routes on this site in the up to 1,500 km band, it is number 13 by length.
Other routes from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (LEMD) on this site: Tenerife (1,824 km), Miami (7,106 km).
Other routes from Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (LEBL) on this site: London (1,109 km), Amsterdam (1,241 km).
If MAD–BCN 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 €250 here. If the replacement left within the allowed early margin and landed within the re-routing window, nothing is owed; if it landed within 2 hours but outside those windows, the airline may pay half — €125. 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 2 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 Spain (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
Airport coordinates: 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.