The number of reports per year includes all reports received by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). FOCA processes those that fall within the FOCA's jurisdiction as part of administrative penal proceedings. Reports that do not include all the required enclosures or are not signed are not processed and are automatically closed after six months. If FOCA is not the competent authority, reports will be forwarded to the relevant European enforcement body.
Legally binding fines
FOCA can impose fines as part of administrative penal proceedings if airlines fail to comply with their obligations under Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004.
Due to the legal framework, FOCA must prove that the airline has committed an infringement. Moreover, sanctions are only possible in case of a repeated or serious infringement of Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004. It is not possible to sanction if an obligation is not explicitly in the text of the Regulation, but merely derives from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. This applies, for example, to all cases of late or non-payment of compensation in case of delayed flights or missed connections. There is no deadline within which compensation must be paid to the passenger, meaning that the payment (for canceled flights) can be made relatively late in the proceedings without legal consequences.
In justified cases, airlines normally make compensation payments during FOCA's administrative penal procedure, therefore sanctions are rarely imposed.
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legally binding fines | 14 | 24 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 99 | 17 | 132 | 138 | 114 | 62 | 24 |
Last modification 29.04.2025
