TAP at Porto (OPO): delayed or cancelled flight compensation
A delayed, cancelled, or overbooked TAP Air Portugal flight from, to, or through Porto (OPO) can entitle you to a fixed cash payment of EUR 250, EUR 400, or EUR 600 per passenger under EU Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) — on top of any refund or rebooking.
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Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Short answer: Porto is TAP's second hub, and because TAP is a Portuguese (EU) carrier, EU261 covers every TAP flight leaving Porto and every TAP flight arriving into Porto from outside the EU. If you reach your final destination three or more hours late, are bumped, or your flight is cancelled at short notice, TAP owes EUR 250-600 by distance unless it proves a genuine extraordinary circumstance. On a connecting itinerary the delay is measured at your final destination, not at Porto or Lisbon.
Why Porto counts under EU261
Porto is TAP's second hub after Lisbon (LIS), and two coverage rules do most of the work. First, any flight departing an EU airport is covered whatever the airline, so every TAP departure from Porto qualifies. Second, because TAP is an EU carrier, EU261 also covers TAP flights arriving into Porto from a non-EU airport, such as its direct services from Newark or São Paulo — so both directions of a long-haul are protected.
Porto is heavily a connecting airport, and some feeders are operated by TAP Express (the regional arm) or Star Alliance codeshare partners rather than TAP's mainline. Under case C-532/17 (Wirth), the operating carrier — the airline that actually flew the aircraft — is the one that must pay, so confirm the "operated by" line on your ticket before you claim.
How much: EUR 250, 400 or 600
Compensation is a flat amount fixed by the distance to your final destination, not by your fare.
| Final destination from Porto (single booking) | Approx. distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Porto–Madrid, Paris, London, Funchal (Madeira) | Up to 1,500 km | EUR 250 |
| Porto–Rome, Berlin, and intra-EU routes over 1,500 km | 1,500–3,500 km | EUR 400 |
| Porto–Newark, Boston, São Paulo | Over 3,500 km (non-EU) | EUR 600 |
TAP's Brazil, US, and Africa network pushes many Porto claims into the EUR 600 band. Under Article 7(2), TAP may halve the amount (for example EUR 300 instead of EUR 600) if it rerouted you and you still landed within a limited window of the original schedule. Sanity-check your figure with our flight compensation calculator.
Delays and cancellations from Porto
Delayed flights
Following case C-402/07 (Sturgeon), a long delay is treated like a cancellation for compensation once you land three or more hours late at your final destination. The clock that counts is arrival, not departure — a flight that pushes back four hours but lands 2h50 late usually falls short. Separately, Article 9 gives you a right to care — meals, refreshments, and a hotel if you are stranded overnight — once waiting passes 2, 3, or 4 hours by distance. Our TAP delayed-flight guide covers the detail.
Cancelled flights
If TAP cancels a Porto flight, you choose between a full refund and rerouting, and you keep the right to care. Cash compensation is also due unless TAP gave enough notice or offered a close-enough alternative. Under Article 5(1)(c)(iii), if TAP told you less than seven days before departure but rerouted you to leave no more than one hour early and arrive under two hours late, nothing is due; for 7-14 days' notice the window is two hours early and four hours late. See the TAP cancelled-flight guide.
Connections through Porto or Lisbon
Most sizeable Porto claims are connections. On a single booking, what counts is the arrival delay at your final destination and the total distance to it — not the segment that went wrong (case C-11/11, Folkerts). A short Porto-Lisbon feeder that runs 40 minutes late can cost you the long-haul out of Lisbon and leave you hours behind in São Paulo, producing a EUR 600 claim on the full distance. Keep every leg on one reservation — separate tickets break the chain. Our missed-connection guide covers this.
Strikes and extraordinary circumstances
TAP does not have to pay if it proves an extraordinary circumstance it could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, and security threats can qualify. But the bar is high, and routine technical faults generally do not count (C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann; C-257/14 van der Lans).
TAP is regularly disrupted by strikes from its own SPAC pilots and SNPVAC cabin crew. In case C-28/20 (Airhelp v SAS) the Court of Justice held that a strike by an airline's own staff is part of its normal activity and is not an extraordinary circumstance, so a TAP flight cancelled or delayed by a TAP crew strike will usually still owe compensation. A strike by third parties — airport ground handlers or air-traffic controllers — is different and may qualify.
How to claim
Gather your booking reference, boarding passes, and proof of the actual arrival time, then send TAP a written claim stating the amount and legal basis. If TAP refuses, escalate to Portugal's enforcement body, ANAC (Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil), which handles EU261 complaints about flights from Portuguese airports. Our how-to-claim guide covers the wording, and the full picture sits in the TAP Air Portugal compensation hub.
ClaimWinger can run the whole process on a no-win, no-fee basis: there is no upfront cost, and we charge a commission only if your claim succeeds. We confirm the operating carrier and test any extraordinary-circumstances defence. If TAP delayed, cancelled, or bumped you at Porto, start with our delayed-flight or cancelled-flight check and we will assess it for free.
Time limits and UK departures
There is no single universal deadline: the period to bring a claim depends on the jurisdiction where you sue, and national limitation periods vary widely, so check the rules for your route early. A separate July 2026 EU reform (proposing a nine-month claim window and a 30-day airline response deadline) is a proposal, not yet in force.
For flights departing a UK airport, EU261 no longer applies — UK261 governs, with sterling amounts of GBP 220, GBP 350, and GBP 520 by distance. A TAP Porto-London flight is EU261; the London-Porto return is UK261.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Does EU261 cover TAP flights arriving into Porto from Brazil or the US?
Yes. TAP is an EU carrier, so a flight arriving into Porto from a non-EU airport is covered. A São Paulo-Porto or Newark-Porto service that lands three or more hours late sits in the EUR 600 band.
My Porto-Lisbon feeder was only slightly late but I missed my long-haul. Can I claim?
Yes, if both legs were on one booking and you reached your final destination three or more hours late. Under C-11/11 (Folkerts) the delay at your final destination governs, and the amount reflects the total distance.
Does a TAP pilot or cabin-crew strike block a Porto claim?
Usually no. A strike by TAP's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance (C-28/20 Airhelp v SAS), so TAP normally still owes compensation. A third-party strike, such as air-traffic control, may be treated differently.
What if my Porto flight was operated by TAP Express or a codeshare partner?
The operating carrier is liable (C-532/17 Wirth), so claim against whoever actually flew the aircraft. Check the "operated by" note on your ticket before you file.
Sources
This guide reflects the legal position in 2026: the EU261 three-hour threshold and compensation of EUR 250/400/600 remain in force. The proposed EU261 reform — including any revised delay thresholds, the nine-month claim window, and the 30-day airline response deadline — is a proposal, not yet in force. This is general information, not legal advice; verify the current position for your specific flight.