Routes / BFS–STN
528 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Belfast BFS to London STN delay compensation
Belfast International Airport to London Stansted Airport is 528 km by great circle, a domestic United Kingdom route. Under UK261 that is £220 per passenger when you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Belfast BFS
- 2London STN
- 3Great circle 528 km
- 4UK261 band £220
Which rules cover BFS–STN
Belfast → London
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by UK261 (the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
London → Belfast
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by UK261 (the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at STN (or BFS on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | UK261 |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | £0 |
| 3 h 30 min | £220 |
| 4 h 30 min | £220 |
| 6 h 30 min | £220 |
| 9 h 30 min | £220 |
At 528 km the amount is the same from 3 hours late onwards — there is no extra for longer delays under the EU and UK rules.
How the two airports run
The UK Civil Aviation Authority's figures for 2025 show 78.6% of flights at Belfast International Airport running early or no more than 15 minutes late, against 75.1% in 2024, with an average delay of 12.7 minutes (14.9 in 2024). 5.4% were more than an hour late and 0.54% more than three hours — the length of delay at which UK261 starts — and 230 flights (0.51%) were cancelled. These are all flights at the airport, arrivals and departures, not this route alone.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority's figures for 2025 show 69.7% of flights at London Stansted Airport running early or no more than 15 minutes late, against 63.6% in 2024, with an average delay of 16.3 minutes (20.3 in 2024). 6.6% were more than an hour late and 0.46% more than three hours — the length of delay at which UK261 starts — and 558 flights (0.31%) were cancelled. These are all flights at the airport, arrivals and departures, not this route alone.
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 Belfast International Airport (54.6575012207, -6.21582984924) and London Stansted Airport (51.884998, 0.235) that is 528 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 972 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 57 by length.
Belfast International Airport (EGAA, Belfast, United Kingdom) appears on no other route on this site.
Other routes from London Stansted Airport (EGSS) on this site: Dublin (470 km).
If BFS–STN 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.
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 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.
Claim pages of airlines based in United Kingdom (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- 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). Airport punctuality: UK CAA: 2025 Annual Punctuality Statistics, Summary Analysis (CSV, run 25 February 2026). Rules: UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.