Ethiopian Airlines flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on an Ethiopian Airlines flight

Ethiopian Airlines is Ethiopia's flag carrier and a Star Alliance member, built around its hub at Addis Ababa Bole, with a European network reaching London, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Brussels, Vienna and Stockholm among others. It is not an EU or UK airline, so your rights attach to the airport you departed from, not to the carrier.

• Departing an EU/EEA airport on Ethiopian — EU261 applies, as it does to any operating carrier. A Frankfurt, Paris, Rome or Brussels departure to Addis Ababa is covered.
• Departing a UK airport — UK261 applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from Ethiopia — not covered, because those inbound limbs require an EU or UK operating carrier and Ethiopian holds neither licence. An Addis Ababa to Frankfurt flight falls outside both regimes.

Compensation is triggered by arriving at your final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding after checking in on time.

How much you could receive

The amount is fixed by route distance, not by the fare or cabin. Ethiopian's flights between Europe and Addis Ababa are long-haul and well over 3,500 km, so the top band is the usual one:

• EUR 250 — 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — over 3,500 km, covering nearly every Ethiopian route out of Europe

UK261 pays GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520 on the same distance bands. Under Article 7(2) the top figure may be halved where a re-routing lands you under four hours late. Each passenger on the booking claims separately, and Cloud Nine business travellers receive the same figure as economy.

When Ethiopian Airlines doesn't have to pay

No compensation is due where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts or a bird strike.

The airline carries the burden of proof. A one-line message blaming "operational reasons" is an assertion, not evidence, and should be tested against what actually happened. Industrial action divides the usual way: a strike by the airline's own crew is generally not extraordinary, whereas strikes by air-traffic controllers or third-party airport handlers usually are. Routine technical faults from ordinary maintenance remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from Ethiopian Airlines

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes for every sector, and any notification of the change. For a missed connection beyond Addis Ababa, note the actual arrival time at your final destination rather than the length of the first delay.

Ethiopian processes claims through its own channels and may ask for verification before paying. We prepare the submission, run the follow-up and any appeal, and tell you plainly if a defence is likely to hold. A stalled claim on a covered flight can be escalated to the national enforcement body in the EU country of departure or the UK Civil Aviation Authority, or pursued in court within the local time limit.

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.