TAP Air Portugal delay and cancellation compensation
Checked 10 min read · 5 tables
One Portuguese licence brings both regulations with it. Land 3 hours or more behind schedule at your final destination and TAP Air Portugal owes €250 to €600 per passenger under EU261, or £220 to £520 under UK261, unless it proves extraordinary circumstances. Refused, and a flight that involves a UK airport can go to AviationADR.
TAP Air 
Portugal owes 
UK airport can go to 
AviationADR.
- EU261 €€250–€600per passenger, 3 h or more late at arrival
- UK261 ££220–£520per passenger, 3 h or more late at arrival
- Claim service
No win, no feeHand the claim over →
Key facts: TAP Air Portugal
Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
Amounts | EU261 €250/€400/€600; UK261 £220/£350/£520 |
Operating company and licence | TAP PORTUGAL - Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, S.A., Community carrier (Portugal), licence decision effective since 14 March 1945 |
Arrivals | EU261 on TAP Air Portugal flights into the EU; UK261 on TAP Air Portugal flights into the UK |
ADR scheme | AviationADR ("TAP Air Portugal" on the CAA list), flights involving a UK airport |
Enforcement body, flights from Portugal | Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC), also for flights into Portugal from outside the EU |
Court deadline | EU261: national law; UK261: 6 years England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland 5 years under the 1973 Act, open point |
EU; UK261 on 
CAA list), flights involving a 
England, 
Wales and 
Scotland 5 years under the 1973 Act, open pointSource: EU261 arts. 3, 7, 16, Cuadrench Moré — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 arts. 3, 3(9), 7, limitation statutes — legislation.gov.uk; EC licence and NEB lists — transport.ec.europa.eu; CAA ADR page — caa.co.uk; AviationADR members — aviationadr.org.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
#How much does TAP Air Portugal pay under EU261 for a delay of 3 hours or more?
€600 is the top EU261 band on a TAP Air Portugal flight, for distances above 3,500 km. €400 covers 1,500 to 3,500 km and €250 anything shorter, while UK261 answers £520, £350 and £220. Every figure needs an arrival 3 hours or more behind schedule.
How far to your final destination | EU261 € | UK261 £ |
|---|---|---|
1,500 km and under | €250 | £220 |
1,500 to 3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
Above 3,500 km | €600; €300 at TAP Air Portugal's option if under 4 hours late; €400 between two EU airports | £520; £260 if between three and four hours late |
Source: EU261 art. 7, Sturgeon para 63 — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 arts. 6(3), 7 — legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Delays — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
Article 7 says nothing about delay. Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07, 2009) supplied it for arrivals three hours or more late, and UK261 wrote the rule into article 6 on 14 December 2023.
Only the longest band discounts. Above 3,500 km, unless both airports sit in the EU, article 7(2) lets TAP Air Portugal pay €300 rather than €600 while the delay runs under four hours, and the article says “may”, so the choice belongs to the airline.
Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro measures about 7,715 km on our own great-circle calculation. Reach Rio 3 hours 45 minutes late and €300 is what TAP Air Portugal may pay. At 4 hours 0 minutes the discount closes and the full €600 falls due.
Record the time the doors opened, then price the band in the compensation calculator or the EU261 delay guide.
#Which TAP Air Portugal flights do EU261 and UK261 cover, and what depends on the licence check?
2 Portuguese licences sit behind the brand on the European Commission’s list, data as at 19 May 2026: TAP PORTUGAL — Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, S.A., and PORTUGÁLIA — Companhia Portuguesa de Transportes Aéreos, S.A. Both are Community carriers, so read the “operated by” line for the addressee, not the regime.
European Commission’s list, data as at 19 May 2026: Company on the EC licence list | Status | Licence effective since |
|---|---|---|
TAP PORTUGAL - Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, S.A. | Community carrier (Portugal) | 14 March 1945 |
PORTUGÁLIA - Companhia Portuguesa de Transportes Aéreos, S.A. | Community carrier (Portugal) | 10 May 1989 |
Source: EC active operating licence list, data as at 19 May 2026.
Neither changes the answer below: both hold a Portuguese licence, so only the addressee moves.
Which rules apply to your TAP Air Portugal flight
Your TAP Air Portugal flight | EU261 € | UK261 £ |
|---|---|---|
EU departure to anywhere but the UK | Yes | No |
EU departure to the UK | Yes | On arrival |
UK departure to the EU | On arrival | Yes |
UK departure to anywhere else | No | Yes |
Brazil, the US or another third country into the EU | On arrival | No |
A third country into the UK | No | On arrival |
Outside the EU and the UK at both ends | No | No |
Brazil, the 
US or another third country into the An “on arrival” answer lapses where the country you flew from already gave you benefits or compensation and assistance. “EU” means the 27 Member States; departures from Iceland and Norway (EEA) and from Switzerland fall under EU261 as well.
Iceland and 
Norway (EEA) and from 
Switzerland fall under EU261 as well.Source: EU261 art. 3, Commission guidelines C/2024/5687 — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 art. 3 — legislation.gov.uk; EC licence list — transport.ec.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.
#When does UK261 cover a TAP Air Portugal flight?
A TAP Air Portugal flight into the UK is covered because article 3(1)(b)(i) of UK261 lists Community carriers, unless the country you left already gave you benefits or compensation and assistance. Out of a UK airport, every airline is covered. One booking with connections counts from its first airport.
The duty falls on the operating air carrier under article 3(5) of EU261, so a codeshare flown by another airline follows that airline’s coverage, whatever the number on the ticket says.
Not your situation? Canada: Air Passenger Protection Regulations; baggage: Montreal Convention. Flying in the US? US federal rules differ: US DOT rules. Unsure? Which law covers my flight.
Canada: Look for the operator’s name on your booking; compare Iberia, Air Europa and Aegean Airlines, Community carriers under EU261.
Iberia
Air Europa
Aegean Airlines#How do you claim compensation from TAP Air Portugal directly?
Notice dates decide a cancelled TAP Air Portugal claim, so the first message gives them: told 9 days ahead, with the replacement leaving 3 hours early, a Lisbon to Heathrow cancellation still pays €400 under EU261, because the exemption needs both halves of its test.
Heathrow cancellation still pays Source: EU261 arts. 5, 7(3), 15(1) — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 arts. 5, 7(3) — legislation.gov.uk; CAA ADR page — caa.co.uk; Google UK results, 15 September 2026, checked 2026-09-15.
Every claim carries who flew, which flight and when, how late you arrived or how much notice of cancellation you had, and the regime with its amount. Put it in writing and date your copy, because the escalation clock starts there.
Cancelled rather than delayed? Then the warning you were given decides what is owed.
How much notice TAP Air Portugal gave you
Notice before departure | Compensation owed |
|---|---|
14 days or more | None |
14 to 7 days | None where the re-routing offered leaves no more than 2 hours early and arrives less than 4 hours late |
Less than 7 days | None where the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour early and arrives less than 2 hours late |
Miss either window and the band applies in full, unless extraordinary circumstances caused the cancellation. Article 5 of EU261 and of UK261 leaves TAP Air Portugal to prove when it told you.
That Lisbon to Heathrow hop measures about 1,564 km by our own great-circle calculation, inside the 1,500-3,500 km band, which is where its €400 comes from.
Offered a voucher? Nothing but your own signature turns the money into one, so ask for a bank transfer and give your account details; the EU261 hub has the rest of article 7(3) and the article 15(1) bar on contracting out of it.
#Where are TAP Air Portugal’s compensation pages?
Google UK results for “tap flight delay compensation” on 15 September 2026 listed Flight delays and cancellations and Requests and complaints on flytap.com. Whichever page carries the claim form, put the figure in yourself: “EU261, article 7(1)(b), €400 per passenger”.
#Which TAP Air Portugal refusal reasons count as extraordinary circumstances?
Article 5(3) of EU261 lifts the compensation only where TAP Air Portugal proves the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Sturgeon takes that defence over to arrival delays of 3 hours or more.
Source: EU261 arts. 5(3), 9; Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07, 2008) paras 24-25 — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 art. 5(3) — legislation.gov.uk; C-74/19 TAP Portugal (2020) — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.
One CJEU ruling was decided on TAP Air Portugal’s own operations. In C-74/19 TAP Portugal (LE v. TAP) (2020), the Court of Justice held that an unruly passenger can be an extraordinary circumstance, while the carrier must still show it took all reasonable re-routing measures.
The technical excuse is decided on Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07, 2008) instead, and which causes actually qualify works through them one at a time.
A proven defence removes “compensation in accordance with Article 7” and nothing else. Meals, a hotel where you need one, and the choice between a refund and re-routing all stay owed.
For a strike, read the strike compensation guide before you reply.
#If TAP Air Portugal rejects your claim
Ask TAP Air Portugal, in writing, for the reason it relies on and the steps it took. Then read when an airline refuses compensation.
#Where do you escalate a refused TAP Air Portugal claim?
8 weeks of silence on your written complaint, or a final refusal, takes a TAP Air Portugal flight that involves a UK airport to AviationADR, where the CAA lists the airline as a member. The deadline is 12 months from that final response or last written communication. Filing is free.
Source: CAA ADR (undated list) and PACT pages — caa.co.uk; AviationADR members — aviationadr.org.uk; EU261 art. 16 — eur-lex.europa.eu; NEB list (27 August 2026) — transport.ec.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.
The CAA list carries the brand “TAP Air Portugal”, not the company behind it, and AviationADR’s members page gives it no scope beyond flights involving a UK airport. A decision you accept binds the airline; refuse it and court remains open. Incidents from the last 6 years are eligible, 5 if you live in Scotland.
Membership closes the PACT route: the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team is “only likely to consider your complaint” about an airline that is not a member of an approved ADR body.
Away from UK airports, article 16 of EU261 hands the flight to the national enforcement body of the country you left, and to the arrival country when the flight came from outside the EU. For Portugal the Commission list names the Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC), which takes a complaint once the airline has had 6 weeks and answered badly or not at all. ANAC sanctions the carrier; it does not award you the money, so collecting still means ADR or a court.
Count 8 weeks from your complaint, then read the ADR scheme guide and check the ADR map.
AirHelp (third-party claim service)- Write to the airline and keep the reference
- Refused: the enforcement body of the country you left, free
- You keep all of the compensation
Hand it overAirHelp takes the claim, no win no fee- They deal with TAP Air Portugal for you
- AirHelp's fee is 35% of the compensation, VAT included, and nothing if the claim fails.
#How long do you have to claim against TAP Air Portugal?
6 years is what England and Wales allow, because article 3(9) of UK261 applies section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980, and Northern Ireland matches that. EU261 names no limit of its own, so the national law of the Member State decides the point (UK261).
Source: Código Civil art. 309.º — diariodarepublica.pt; Montreal Convention 1999 art. 35(1), checked 2026-09-18; UK261 art. 3(9); Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (NI) Order 1989 art. 4; 1973 Act s.6 — legislation.gov.uk; Cuadrench Moré — eur-lex.europa.eu; small claims track — justice.gov.uk; court fees — gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
Cuadrench Moré (C-139/11, 2012) is the ruling that put the question there.
The Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 gives 5 years, and no Scottish court has ruled on whether it or article 3(9) governs a UK261 claim.
Portugal’s ordinary period runs 20 years under article 309 of the Código Civil, as long as any in Europe and the wrong figure to bank on. The Montreal Convention’s two-year bar competes with it, the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça has not settled which governs an EU261 claim, and the one Portuguese decision found took the shorter road. Treat Portugal’s deadline as 2 years.
2 passengers on that same 1,564 km Lisbon to Heathrow route, arriving 3 hours or more late, claim £350 each under UK261, barring extraordinary circumstances. In England and Wales £700 is normally a small claim, £70 to issue.
Diarise 2 years if the claim is Portuguese, 6 from the flight in England and Wales, 5 where a Scottish court could hear it. The time limits guide has the detail.
General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the enforcement body of your departure country, the European Consumer Centre network, the CAA or a solicitor.
TAP Air Portugal complaints in the CAA figures
168 Reg 261 complaints about TAP Air Portugal reached AviationADR in the CAA's 2025/26 figures (April 2025 to March 2026), an estimated 169 per million passengers, and 56.0% of cases were upheld. These are complaints the ADR body or the CAA received, not delays.
TAP Air Portugal: complaints, April 2025 to March 2026
| CAA figure | FY26 |
|---|---|
| Handled by | AviationADR |
| Reg 261 complaints | 168 |
| All complaints opened | 193 |
| Per million passengers (CAA estimate) | 169 |
| Uphold rate | 56.0% |
Source: CAA, Passenger Complaints Data FY26 (Q2 2025 – Q1 2026), data correct as of 3 June 2026 — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-22. The CAA calls the per-million figure "an indicative estimated value only".
#Sources
- EU261 (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004) - eur-lex.europa.eu
- UK261 and SI 2023/1370 - legislation.gov.uk
- TAP Portugal (LE v. TAP), C-74/19 (2020) - eur-lex.europa.eu
- Sturgeon, C-402/07 and C-432/07 (2009) - eur-lex.europa.eu
- Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07 (2008) - eur-lex.europa.eu
- Cuadrench Moré, C-139/11 (2012) - eur-lex.europa.eu
- European Commission Interpretative Guidelines C/2024/5687 - eur-lex.europa.eu
- European Commission: active operating licence list, national enforcement bodies
- CAA: Delays, ADR, How the CAA can help
- AviationADR, airline and airport members - aviationadr.org.uk
- Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (NI) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 - legislation.gov.uk
- Small claims track and court fees - justice.gov.uk, gov.uk
- TAP Air Portugal, Flight delays and cancellations - flytap.com
- Portugal: Código Civil art. 309.º (20-year ordinary limitation) - diariodarepublica.pt, checked 2026-09-18.
- Montreal Convention 1999, art. 35(1) (two-year limitation), checked 2026-09-15.
- ANAC, how to make a complaint - anac.pt, checked 2026-09-18.