Routes / ARN–HEL
399 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Stockholm ARN to Helsinki HEL delay compensation
Stockholm Arlanda Airport to Helsinki Vantaa Airport is 399 km by great circle, Sweden to Finland. Under EU261 that is €250 per passenger, and under UK261 £220, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Stockholm ARN
- 2Helsinki HEL
- 3Great circle 399 km
- 4EU261 band €250
Which rules cover ARN–HEL
Stockholm → 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. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to Swedish Consumer Agency for EU261 (the flight leaves Sweden) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
Helsinki → Stockholm
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. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to Consumer Disputes Board for EU261 (the flight leaves Finland) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for 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 HEL (or ARN 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 399 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 Stockholm Arlanda Airport (59.65194, 17.91861) and Helsinki Vantaa Airport (60.318363, 24.963341) that is 399 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 1,101 km beyond this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 84 routes on this site in the up to 1,500 km band, it is number 65 by length.
Other routes from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ESSA) on this site: New York (6,292 km), London (1,462 km), Copenhagen (547 km).
Other routes from Helsinki Vantaa Airport (EFHK) on this site: London (1,848 km), Tenerife (4,742 km), Lisbon (3,364 km), New York (6,607 km).
If ARN–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 €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 Sweden or Finland (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
Airport coordinates: Wikipedia: Stockholm Arlanda Airport (infobox coordinates); OurAirports country file (FI). Complaint bodies: European Commission NEB list. Rules: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex); UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.