Routes / LGW–FNC
2,456 km great circle · 1,500 to 3,500 km
London LGW to Funchal FNC delay compensation
London Gatwick Airport to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport is 2,456 km by great circle, United Kingdom to Portugal. Under EU261 that is €400 per passenger, and under UK261 £350, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1London LGW
- 2Funchal FNC
- 3Great circle 2,456 km
- 4EU261 band €400
Which rules cover LGW–FNC
London → Funchal
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by UK261 (the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On an EU airline it is also under EU261. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261 or Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC) for EU261 (the flight arrives in Portugal from outside the EU).
Funchal → London
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by EU261 (the flight departs from the EU (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On an EU airline or a UK airline it is also under UK261. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC) for EU261 (the flight leaves Portugal) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport is in Madeira, where the EU Treaties apply (Article 355(1) TFEU), so for EU261 it is an EU airport like any on the mainland.
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 €400 or £350.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at FNC (or LGW 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 | €400 | £350 |
| 4 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 6 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 9 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
At 2,456 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 London LGW runs
The UK Civil Aviation Authority's figures for 2025 show 69.8% of flights at London Gatwick Airport running early or no more than 15 minutes late, against 59.9% in 2024, with an average delay of 16.8 minutes (23.6 in 2024). 6.5% were more than an hour late and 0.59% more than three hours — the length of delay at which UK261 starts — and 2,145 flights (0.82%) 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 London Gatwick Airport (51.148744, -0.185739) and Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (32.697812, -16.774613) that is 2,456 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 956 km below this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 19 routes on this site in the 1,500 to 3,500 km band, it is number 10 by length.
Other routes from London Gatwick Airport (EGKK) on this site: Barcelona (1,109 km), Faro (1,688 km), Orlando (6,992 km), New York (5,569 km), Dubrovnik (1,690 km).
Other routes from Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (LPMA) on this site: Lisbon (965 km).
If LGW–FNC 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 €400 here. If the replacement left within the allowed early margin and landed within the re-routing window, nothing is owed; if it landed within 3 hours but outside those windows, the airline may pay half — €200. 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 3 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.
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.
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.
Claim pages of airlines based in United Kingdom or Portugal (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- TAP Air Portugal: Delays and cancellations (TAP)
- 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); OurAirports country file (PT). Airport punctuality: UK CAA: 2025 Annual Punctuality Statistics, Summary Analysis (CSV, run 25 February 2026). Complaint bodies: European Commission NEB list. Rules: UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk); Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.