Binter Canarias

Binter Canarias: a 30-minute flight, the same rights as a long-haul

Binter is the airline that holds the Canary Islands together — a Spanish carrier flying ATR turboprops and Embraer E195-E2 jets on one of Europe’s busiest short-hop networks, shuttling between Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma and the smaller islands, plus out to mainland Spain, Madeira and West Africa. Many of its inter-island flights are among the shortest scheduled flights in Europe — Gran Canaria to Tenerife is barely 110 km, around 30 minutes in the air.

And here’s the point passengers don’t expect: that 30-minute hop carries the same EU 261 rights as a transatlantic flight. Compensation is fixed by the flight’s distance band, not by how short the flight is, how cheap the ticket was, or how quick the hop felt. Land 3+ hours late on any inter-island flight and you’re owed €250 — the same fixed amount, on a flight shorter than the queue to board it. The clock decides what you’re owed, not the timetable:

What your Binter claim is worth

EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of your route. For Binter, two bands cover everything:

The entire inter-island network — and even the African routes to Marrakech, Dakar and Cape Verde — sits under 1,500 km, so it’s €250. Only the longer routes to mainland Spain clear the 1,500 km line into €400. There’s no €600: Binter flies nothing over 3,500 km. Pick a route:

(Note the near-misses: Dakar at ~1,485 km stays in the €250 band, while Madrid at ~1,735 km clears into €400. The 1,500 km line is the whole story.)

Covered both ways — including the flights from Africa

Binter is a Spanish (EU) carrier, so EU 261 protects it in both directions. That matters for its African routes: the flight out from the Canaries is covered as an EU departure, and the flight back from Morocco, Senegal or Cape Verde into the Canaries is covered too — because the operating airline is European. On a non-EU carrier that inbound leg wouldn’t count; on Binter it does. (All these routes are under 1,500 km, so €250 either way.)

Real example. A Gran Canaria → Tenerife flight, a 30-minute hop, lands 3 hours 10 minutes late after a technical fault. Under 1,500 km → €250 per passenger — the full amount, on a flight barely longer than the safety briefing. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. A Gran Canaria → Madrid flight is delayed 4 hours. At ~1,735 km it clears 1,500 km → €400 per passenger, not €250. Check a cancelled flight →

Delays, cancellations and overbooking

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within Binter’s control and you’re owed €250 (inter-island) or €400 (mainland). Measured at arrival.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary — the compensation on top.
• Denied boarding. Bumped from an oversold flight? Compensation immediately, plus rerouting or a refund.
• Care on the island network. Meals, calls, and a hotel if the last flight of the day strands you overnight — owed regardless of the cause.

How to claim from Binter yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, Binter’s stated reason, and any receipts for meals or a hotel.
2. Confirm it qualifies — you arrived 3+ hours late (or it was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or you were denied boarding) and the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
3. Work out the amount — €250 inter-island and on the African routes; €400 to mainland Spain. No Binter route reaches €600.
4. Submit Binter’s claim form. Start at Binter’s passenger-rights page and contact form, stating clearly that you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with the flight details and the arrival delay. Binter has 30 days to respond.
5. Escalate if refused. Escalate to Spain’s aviation authority AESA — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real Binter scenarios

• The 30-minute hop. Gran Canaria → Tenerife 3 hours late → €250, fixed by band, not flight length.
• The mainland line. Gran Canaria → Madrid 4 hours late → €400, because it’s over 1,500 km.
• Last flight of the day. Inter-island route cancelled, stranded overnight → €250 plus a hotel and meals.
• Back from Africa. Dakar → Gran Canaria delayed → €250, covered because Binter is an EU carrier.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

Binter Canarias at a glance

Founded in 1988 and privately owned by Canarian investors under president Rodolfo Núñez, Binter flies a fleet of ATR 72-600 turboprops and Embraer E195-E2 jets across the islands and out to the mainland, Madeira and West Africa. Its flights are short — sometimes astonishingly short — but the rights are full-size: a 30-minute hop delayed three hours pays the same €250 as any short-haul flight in Europe.

Why hand your Binter claim to Refundio

The thing passengers get wrong about Binter is assuming a tiny, cheap island hop can’t be worth claiming — when a 3-hour delay on a 30-minute flight is a clean €250, and a mainland delay is €400. Refundio works out the right band, buys your claim and pays you upfront, then takes Binter on itself and escalates to AESA if needed. No win, no fee.

Check your Binter claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

My Binter inter-island flight was only 30 minutes — can I really claim €250?

Yes. Compensation is fixed by distance band, not flight length or ticket price. Every inter-island hop is under 1,500 km, so a 3+ hour arrival delay within Binter’s control is €250 per person.

How much for a Binter flight from the Canaries to mainland Spain?

€400 — Gran Canaria or Tenerife to Madrid is around 1,700–1,800 km, just over the 1,500 km line, so the higher band. Covered both ways, as Binter is an EU carrier.

Does Binter ever pay €600?

No — €600 needs a flight over 3,500 km, and Binter flies nothing that long. Its claims are €250 (inter-island and Africa) or €400 (mainland Spain).

I flew Binter back from Morocco or Senegal into the Canaries. Is that covered?

Yes — Binter is an EU carrier, so EU 261 covers it both ways, including the inbound from a non-EU country. These routes are under 1,500 km, so €250.

How do I claim compensation from Binter Canarias?

Use Binter’s passenger-rights page and contact form, stating you’re claiming EU 261 compensation with your flight details and arrival delay. Binter has 30 days. If refused, escalate to Spain’s AESA — or hand it to Refundio.

My inter-island flight was the last of the day and got cancelled — what am I owed?

If it was within Binter’s control and under 14 days’ notice, €250 plus a refund or rerouting — and, because you’re stranded overnight, a hotel, meals and transfers. The duty of care applies regardless of the reason.