diff --git a/providers/amazon/src/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/ec2.py b/providers/amazon/src/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/ec2.py
index 78202e7bd8f73..acacaaf779f32 100644
--- a/providers/amazon/src/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/ec2.py
+++ b/providers/amazon/src/airflow/providers/amazon/aws/operators/ec2.py
@@ -218,31 +218,46 @@ def execute(self, context: Context):
             MaxCount=self.max_count,
             **self.config,
         )["Instances"]
-
-        instance_ids = self._on_kill_instance_ids = [instance["InstanceId"] for instance in instances]
-        # Console link is for EC2 dashboard list, not individual instances when more than 1 instance
-
-        EC2InstanceDashboardLink.persist(
-            context=context,
-            operator=self,
-            region_name=self.hook.conn_region_name,
-            aws_partition=self.hook.conn_partition,
-            instance_ids=EC2InstanceDashboardLink.format_instance_id_filter(instance_ids),
-        )
-        for instance_id in instance_ids:
-            self.log.info("Created EC2 instance %s", instance_id)
-
-            if self.wait_for_completion:
-                self.hook.get_waiter("instance_running").wait(
-                    InstanceIds=[instance_id],
-                    WaiterConfig={
-                        "Delay": self.poll_interval,
-                        "MaxAttempts": self.max_attempts,
-                    },
+        try:
+            instance_ids = self._on_kill_instance_ids = [instance["InstanceId"] for instance in instances]
+            # Console link is for EC2 dashboard list, not individual instances when more than 1 instance
+
+            EC2InstanceDashboardLink.persist(
+                context=context,
+                operator=self,
+                region_name=self.hook.conn_region_name,
+                aws_partition=self.hook.conn_partition,
+                instance_ids=EC2InstanceDashboardLink.format_instance_id_filter(instance_ids),
+            )
+            for instance_id in instance_ids:
+                self.log.info("Created EC2 instance %s", instance_id)
+
+                if self.wait_for_completion:
+                    self.hook.get_waiter("instance_running").wait(
+                        InstanceIds=[instance_id],
+                        WaiterConfig={
+                            "Delay": self.poll_interval,
+                            "MaxAttempts": self.max_attempts,
+                        },
+                    )
+
+            # leave "_on_kill_instance_ids" in place for finishing post-processing
+            return instance_ids
+
+        # Best-effort cleanup when post-creation steps fail (e.g. IAM/permission errors).
+        except Exception:
+            self.log.exception(
+                "Exception after EC2 instance creation; attempting cleanup for instances %s",
+                instance_ids,
+            )
+            try:
+                self.hook.terminate_instances(instance_ids=instance_ids)
+            except Exception:
+                self.log.exception(
+                    "Failed to cleanup EC2 instances %s after task failure",
+                    instance_ids,
                 )
-
-        # leave "_on_kill_instance_ids" in place for finishing post-processing
-        return instance_ids
+            raise
 
     def on_kill(self) -> None:
         instance_ids = getattr(self, "_on_kill_instance_ids", [])
diff --git a/providers/amazon/tests/unit/amazon/aws/operators/test_ec2.py b/providers/amazon/tests/unit/amazon/aws/operators/test_ec2.py
index 51d7963e22930..89eae7cdd0fa1 100644
--- a/providers/amazon/tests/unit/amazon/aws/operators/test_ec2.py
+++ b/providers/amazon/tests/unit/amazon/aws/operators/test_ec2.py
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@
 # under the License.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from unittest import mock
+
 import pytest
+from botocore.exceptions import ClientError, WaiterError
 from moto import mock_aws
 
 from airflow.providers.amazon.aws.hooks.ec2 import EC2Hook
@@ -96,6 +99,80 @@ def test_template_fields(self):
         )
         validate_template_fields(ec2_operator)
 
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_cleanup_on_post_create_failure(self):
+        ec2_hook = EC2Hook()
+
+        operator = EC2CreateInstanceOperator(
+            task_id="test_cleanup_on_error",
+            image_id=self._get_image_id(ec2_hook),
+            wait_for_completion=True,
+        )
+
+        waiter_error = WaiterError(
+            "InstanceRunning",
+            "You are not authorized to perform this operation",
+            {},
+        )
+
+        # Force failure after instance creation (e.g. missing DescribeInstances permission).
+        with mock.patch.object(operator.hook, "get_waiter") as mock_get_waiter:
+            mock_get_waiter.return_value.wait.side_effect = waiter_error
+            with pytest.raises(WaiterError) as exc:
+                operator.execute(None)
+
+        # Ensure the original waiter exception is propagated unchanged.
+        assert exc.value is waiter_error
+
+        # Instance must have been terminated.
+        # We know exactly one instance was created.
+        instances = list(ec2_hook.conn.instances.all())
+        assert len(instances) == 1
+
+        instance = instances[0]
+        assert instance.state["Name"] == "terminated"
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_cleanup_failure_propagates_original_exception(self):
+        ec2_hook = EC2Hook()
+
+        operator = EC2CreateInstanceOperator(
+            task_id="test_cleanup_failure_does_not_mask_error",
+            image_id=self._get_image_id(ec2_hook),
+            wait_for_completion=True,
+        )
+
+        waiter_error = WaiterError(
+            "InstanceRunning",
+            "You are not authorized to perform this operation",
+            {},
+        )
+
+        cleanup_error = ClientError(
+            error_response={
+                "Error": {
+                    "Code": "UnauthorizedOperation",
+                    "Message": "You are not authorized to perform this operation",
+                }
+            },
+            operation_name="TerminateInstances",
+        )
+
+        with (
+            mock.patch.object(operator.hook, "get_waiter") as mock_get_waiter,
+            mock.patch.object(operator.hook, "terminate_instances") as mock_terminate,
+        ):
+            mock_get_waiter.return_value.wait.side_effect = waiter_error
+            mock_terminate.side_effect = cleanup_error
+
+            with pytest.raises(WaiterError) as exc:
+                operator.execute(None)
+
+            # Ensure the original waiter exception is propagated unchanged.
+            assert exc.value is waiter_error
+
+        # Cleanup is best-effort; failure to terminate must not override the original error.
+
 
 class TestEC2TerminateInstanceOperator(BaseEc2TestClass):
     def test_init(self):