Air Serbia flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on an Air Serbia flight

Air Serbia is the national carrier of Serbia, connecting Belgrade with much of Europe plus long-haul routes to New York and China. Serbia is not in the EU or the EEA, so Air Serbia is a non-EU carrier — and that draws a sharp line through its network:

• Departing an EU/EEA airport — Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Athens towards Belgrade — EU261 applies in full.
• Departing a UK airport — London Heathrow to Belgrade — UK261 applies.
• Departing Belgrade, in any direction, is not covered by either regulation. A delayed Belgrade to Amsterdam flight has no EU261 claim, because it departs a non-EU country on a non-EU carrier, even though the identical Amsterdam to Belgrade rotation is protected. The New York and Chinese routes are outside both regimes in both directions.

Where coverage exists, the triggers are a three-hour-plus delay at the final destination, a cancellation with less than 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding.

How much you could receive

Amounts are fixed by the distance of the covered flight:

• EUR 250 — routes of 1,500 km or less: Vienna, Zurich, Rome or Athens to Belgrade
• EUR 400 — routes between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, such as Paris, Amsterdam or Madrid to Belgrade
• EUR 600 — routes over 3,500 km, which the covered European departures do not reach

A London departure pays GBP 220 or GBP 350 under UK261 depending on distance. Every passenger with a confirmed seat claims separately, whatever the fare paid.

When Air Serbia doesn't have to pay

Beyond the Belgrade-departure gap, compensation falls away for extraordinary circumstances — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts — that could not have been avoided with all reasonable measures.

The burden of proof is on the airline: a vague reference to operational reasons is not evidence. A strike by Air Serbia's own staff is generally not extraordinary under the case law applied by EU courts; third-party strikes usually are. Routine technical faults remain the carrier's responsibility.

How to claim from Air Serbia

Start with the departure airport, because it decides whether a claim exists at all. Keep the booking reference, boarding passes and disruption messages, and ask in writing for the cause. Enforcement against a non-EU carrier runs through the authority of the EU country you departed from, or the UK CAA for London flights — we submit the claim, chase it and escalate it there if needed.

What it costs

The eligibility check is free. If we recover your compensation we charge a fixed EUR 39 success fee — the same whether you're owed EUR 250 or EUR 600 — and the airline's payment goes to you. No win, no fee.