EU261 · enforcement
Claiming against an airline in Greece
Five years is the figure usually quoted for Greece, but we could not trace it to a statute or a Greek judgment. Claim quickly and do not rely on a long window.
Checked against its sources
Time limit
Often quoted as 5 years — unconfirmed
No statutory basis found
Court route
Magistrates’ court (Eirinodikeio)
Used only after the airline and the regulator.
The HCAA covers flights departing from Greek airports, including the islands, and flights into Greece from outside the EU.
The order to do it in
- Write to the airline, quoting Article 7 and the flight. Free.
- Give it a month to answer.
- Complain to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority if the airline refuses or does not answer. Free; its pages are in Greek and English.
- Sue in the magistrates’ court (Eirinodikeio) if that fails. If you live in a different EU country from the court, the European Small Claims Procedure (Regulation 861/2007) handles claims up to €5,000 with a standard form, usually without a hearing.
- A claims service only once the free routes are exhausted.
Which body: the HCAA handles flights that departed from Greece, whichever airline operated them, and flights into Greece from outside the EU, which the Regulation covers when an EU airline operates them (Articles 3 and 16). A flight from another EU country goes to that country’s body, even if the airline is based in Greece. All enforcement bodies →
The time limit in detail
- Period
- Claims services publish five years. We have not confirmed it.
- Statutory basis
- Not found. We could not tie the five-year figure to an article of the Greek Civil Code or to a Greek court ruling on EU261 claims.
- Safe assumption
- Treat a Greek claim as urgent. Write to the airline straight away, and take Greek legal advice before relying on any period longer than a year.
- Why national law
- Regulation 261 sets no time limit. The Court of Justice held in Moré v KLM (C-139/11, 22 November 2012) that each Member State’s limitation rules apply, and that the two-year Montreal Convention period does not.
- From 23 Oct 2027
- Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 adds a new Article 7(9): passengers must submit a request for compensation to the airline within nine months of the actual departure date on the ticket. It is a deadline for asking the airline, not for going to court, and the text does not say how it interacts with the national period above. Until it applies, the national period is the limit. What the reform changes →
Every country side by side: time limits by country.
Questions
How long do I have to claim flight compensation in Greece?
Five years is the figure usually published, but we could not confirm its legal basis. Do not rely on it: claim straight away and take advice before relying on more than a year.
Who enforces air passenger rights in Greece?
The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, for flights departing from Greece or arriving there from outside the EU. Complaining is free and does not stop you going to court.
Which court hears flight compensation claims in Greece?
The magistrates' court (Eirinodikeio). Cross-border claims up to €5,000 can use the European Small Claims Procedure.
Does the 2026 EU reform change the deadline?
Not yet. From 23 October 2027, Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 requires passengers to submit a compensation request to the airline within nine months of the departure date. How that interacts with the national limitation period is not settled by the text.