Routes / LHR–HEL
1,848 km great circle · 1,500 to 3,500 km
London LHR to Helsinki HEL delay compensation
London Heathrow Airport to Helsinki Vantaa Airport is 1,848 km by great circle, United Kingdom to Finland. Under EU261 that is €400 per passenger, and under UK261 £350, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1London LHR
- 2Helsinki HEL
- 3Great circle 1,848 km
- 4EU261 band €400
Which rules cover LHR–HEL
London → Helsinki
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.
Helsinki → 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.
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 HEL (or LHR 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 1,848 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 London Heathrow Airport (51.470748, -0.459909) and Helsinki Vantaa Airport (60.318363, 24.963341) that is 1,848 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 348 km below this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 12 routes on this site in the 1,500 to 3,500 km band, it is number 10 by length.
Other routes from London Heathrow Airport (EGLL) on this site: New York (5,540 km), Los Angeles (8,760 km), Toronto (5,707 km), Dubai (5,498 km), Boston (5,240 km), Dublin (449 km), Paris (347 km), Frankfurt (654 km), Amsterdam (370 km), Athens (2,427 km), Edinburgh (534 km), Glasgow (555 km).
Other routes from Helsinki Vantaa Airport (EFHK) on this site: Tenerife (4,742 km), Lisbon (3,364 km).
If LHR–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 €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 Finland (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- Finnair: Feedback and compensation (Finnair)
- 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 (FI). Rules: UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk); Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex). Checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.