Flugverkehr: 53.000 Klagen von Passagieren gegen Fluglinien im Halbjahr

In the first half of 2026, the number of passenger complaints against airlines for delayed or canceled flights dropped significantly for the first time since 2021. Despite this positive trend, civil courts continue to face substantial workload due to approximately 100,000 such cases annually, according to the German Judges' Association in Berlin.

The "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" reported that first-instance courts at the 20 largest airport locations received 53,150 passenger lawsuits in the first half of 2026, a decrease of nearly 13,000 or 20 percent compared to the same period in 2025. Most German courts experienced the decline, but the Amtsgericht Köln saw 12,562 new cases, only 500 more than the previous year.

The Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main followed with 8,314 cases (-26 percent), while the Amtsgericht Königs Wusterhausen handled 8,133 (-25 percent). The airports of Düsseldorf (4,946), Hamburg (4,211), and Erding (4,120) rounded out the top five. Despite this improvement, the Richterbund's Bundesgeschäftsführer Sven Rebehn noted that the current influx of cases remains twice as high as five years ago, estimating that in 2026, the judiciary would still need to handle over 100,000 passenger lawsuits.

It is crucial to implement advanced solutions, such as AI assistance, to alleviate the burden on courts. However, a fully developed system to handle the flood of passenger complaints and expedite case processing is still lacking. Under EU law, passengers are entitled to compensation of 250, 400, or 600 euros for flights delayed by more than three hours, depending on the distance. Many travelers rely on internet platforms that help them enforce these claims against airlines.