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EU261 · Air BalticUpdated July 2026

Air Baltic Flight Delayed or Cancelled? Claim EU261 Compensation Up to €400

Air Baltic (IATA: BT) is Latvia's national carrier, operating from Riga International Airport (RIX) across Europe and beyond. Latvia joined the EU in 2004, making Air Baltic a full EU carrier subject to EU Regulation 261/2004. Delays of 3+ hours, cancellations, and denied boarding entitle you to fixed cash compensation of €250–400 per passenger.

🇱🇻 Latvia: 3-year claim window

Latvian civil law provides a 3-year statute of limitationsfor EU261 claims against Air Baltic. A delayed Riga departure from 2023 is still claimable in 2026. For flights departing from other EU countries (London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt), that country's SOL applies.

Am I eligible?

✅Air Baltic flight (BT code) departed from any EU or UK airport
✅Air Baltic flight arriving in the EU from outside (EU carrier — both directions covered)
✅Arrival delay of 3+ hours at your final destination
✅Cancellation with less than 14 days' notice
✅Denied boarding due to overbooking
❌Claim filed more than 3 years after the flight date (Latvian SOL if departing from Riga)
❌Extraordinary circumstances: genuine severe weather, ATC strike, security incidents

Compensation amounts

Flight distanceExample Air Baltic routesCompensation
Under 1,500 kmRiga–Helsinki, Riga–Stockholm, Riga–Warsaw, Riga–Vilnius€250
1,500–3,500 kmRiga–London (~1,850 km), Riga–Amsterdam (~1,730 km), Riga–Madrid (~2,800 km)€400

Air Baltic hub connections and missed connections

Air Baltic operates Riga as a hub for connections between Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and from Western Europe to the Caucasus and Central Asia. If your Air Baltic feeder flight was delayed at Riga, causing you to miss a connection, the total delay at your final destination is what counts for EU261 — not each individual leg. This significantly increases eligible claims on itineraries routed through RIX.

How to claim Air Baltic EU261 compensation

  1. 1

    File directly with Air Baltic

    Submit your EU261 claim via Air Baltic's customer feedback form. Include your booking reference (PNR), BT flight number, scheduled and actual arrival times, and passenger count. Air Baltic must respond within 30 days.

    Air Baltic passenger rights →
  2. 2

    Escalate to CAA Latvia if denied

    The Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia (Civilās Aviācijas Aģentūra — CAA) is Latvia's national EU261 enforcement body. File a complaint if Air Baltic rejects or ignores your claim. Free process.

    CAA Latvia passenger rights →
  3. 3

    Use a no-win no-fee service

    AirHelp handles Air Baltic claims and takes ~25% only if successful — useful if you want to avoid Latvian administrative procedures or if Air Baltic has already denied once.

    Check via AirHelp →

Air Baltic denial tactics to watch for

  • →"Technical fault" as extraordinary circumstances — aircraft maintenance is not extraordinary; courts consistently reject this across Europe
  • →Claiming delay was at departure, not arrival — EU261 measures delay at the final destination gate; even a short departure delay can become a 3+ hour arrival delay if it causes missed connections
  • →Riga connection delays — if your BT feeder flight to RIX was delayed and caused a missed onward flight, total journey delay applies
  • →Offering travel vouchers — EU261 entitles you to cash payment
  • →Codeshare confusion — always identify the operating carrier (BT for Air Baltic flights); claim against the carrier that actually flew the aircraft

Find past Air Baltic delays in your inbox

SubRadar scans your Gmail or Outlook for Air Baltic booking emails and flags disrupted flights within Latvia's 3-year claim window.

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EU261 guides for other airlines:

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