Routes / MAD–LIS
513 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Madrid MAD to Lisbon LIS delay compensation
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport to Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport is 513 km by great circle, Spain to Portugal. Under EU261 that is €250 per passenger, and under UK261 £220, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Madrid MAD
- 2Lisbon LIS
- 3Great circle 513 km
- 4EU261 band €250
Which rules cover MAD–LIS
Madrid → Lisbon
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.
Lisbon → 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 Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC) for EU261 (the flight leaves Portugal) 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 LIS (or MAD 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 513 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 Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (40.493407, -3.572249) and Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (38.7813, -9.13592) that is 513 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 987 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 58 by length.
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), Paris (1,062 km), Rome (1,331 km), Gran Canaria (1,766 km), Brussels (1,314 km), Seville (396 km).
Other routes from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LPPT) on this site: Helsinki (3,364 km), Newark (5,433 km), New York (5,404 km), Boston (5,124 km), Miami (6,677 km), Washington (5,766 km), Toronto (5,740 km), London (1,564 km), Paris (1,470 km), Amsterdam (1,846 km), Frankfurt (1,873 km), Porto (277 km), Funchal (965 km), Ponta Delgada (1,449 km).
If MAD–LIS 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 Spain or Portugal (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- Iberia: Rights of air passengers - Iberia
- Vueling: Claim and refunds (Vueling help)
- TAP Air Portugal: Delays and cancellations (TAP)
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (ES); OurAirports country file (PT). 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.