Routes / CDG–MAD
1,062 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Paris CDG to Madrid MAD delay compensation
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport is 1,062 km by great circle, France to Spain. Under EU261 that is €250 per passenger, and under UK261 £220, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Paris CDG
- 2Madrid MAD
- 3Great circle 1,062 km
- 4EU261 band €250
Which rules cover CDG–MAD
Paris → 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. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to Direction générale de l'aviation civile (DGAC) for EU261 (the flight leaves France) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
Madrid → Paris
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 Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA), Passenger Rights Division for EU261 (the flight leaves Spain) 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 MAD (or CDG 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 1,062 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 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (49.00972, 2.54778) and Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (40.493407, -3.572249) that is 1,062 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 438 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 24 by length.
Other routes from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG) on this site: London (347 km), Nice (694 km), Athens (2,109 km), New York (5,834 km), Montréal (5,524 km), Cancún (8,218 km), Newark (5,857 km), Washington (6,198 km), Boston (5,534 km), Chicago (6,664 km), Atlanta (7,056 km), Los Angeles (9,103 km), San Francisco (8,962 km), Miami (7,371 km), Detroit (6,359 km), Minneapolis (6,775 km), Houston (8,071 km), Dallas (7,944 km), Seattle (8,049 km), Philadelphia (5,984 km), Toronto (6,020 km), Rome (1,101 km), Barcelona (858 km), Amsterdam (399 km), Lisbon (1,470 km), Venice (835 km), Prague (853 km), Copenhagen (1,004 km).
Other routes from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (LEMD) on this site: Barcelona (483 km), Tenerife (1,824 km), Miami (7,106 km), New York (5,760 km), Newark (5,788 km), Chicago (6,744 km), Boston (5,473 km), Dallas (7,972 km), Los Angeles (9,385 km), London (1,244 km), Rome (1,331 km), Lisbon (513 km), Gran Canaria (1,766 km), Brussels (1,314 km), Seville (396 km).
If CDG–MAD 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 France or Spain (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- Air France: Passengers rights (Air France)
- Iberia: Rights of air passengers - Iberia
- Vueling: Claim and refunds (Vueling help)
Airport coordinates: Wikipedia: Charles de Gaulle Airport (infobox coordinates); OurAirports country file (ES). 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.