Nearly 2.7 million passengers passed through Luxembourg Airport in 2025. However, only 789 complaints were lodged with the National Enforcement Body (NEB) – the body responsible for upholding passengers’ rights when their attempts to resolve issues with airlines are unsuccessful – according to figures released on Wednesday 15 July. This represents 0.29 complaints per 1,000 passengers, compared with 0.37 per 1,000 in 2024, whilst passenger numbers continued to rise.

The authorities do, however, emphasise one point: these statistics do not reflect the full extent of complaints made to airlines. They only take into account complaints lodged with the NEB after an initial attempt to resolve the matter directly with the carrier. In order to refer a matter to the NEB free of charge, passengers must first lodge a complaint with the airline and allow it a reasonable period of time to respond, set at 60 days.

In 2025, cancellations and delays accounted for the vast majority of cases. The NEB recorded 395 complaints relating to delays and 334 relating to cancellations, compared with just 24 cases of denied boarding.

260 complaints against Luxair

The figures also highlight differences between airlines. In absolute terms, Luxair accounts for the highest number of complaints, with 260 cases in 2025, ahead of Ryanair (105), Swiss (96), Turkish Airlines (56) and Lufthansa (53). However, this ranking must be put into perspective in relation to the volume of flights operated. Relative to its operations, Swiss is the airline with the highest number of complaints, with one complaint for every eight flights departing from Luxembourg. It is followed by Turkish Airlines (one for every 11 flights), Lufthansa (one for every 24 flights) and Ryanair (one for every 27 flights), whilst Luxair has one complaint for every 58 flights.

The press conference also provided an opportunity for Martine Hansen (CSV), Minister for Consumer Protection, to review the agreement reached at European level to revise the rules governing air passengers’ rights. The future regulation, which is due to come into force in the third quarter of 2027, reaffirms existing rights whilst enhancing transparency. In particular, it provides for better regulation of commercial practices, additional safeguards for families and people with reduced mobility, and clearer information on refund and compensation procedures.

The authorities also highlighted a distinction that is often overlooked: a refund or re-routing is due regardless of the reason for the disruption, whilst compensation is only paid when the airline is at fault. In the event of extraordinary circumstances, no compensation is payable. The European regulation also retains flat-rate compensation of up to €600, depending on the flight distance and the type of disruption.