flydubai flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a flydubai flight

flydubai is the Dubai-based sister carrier to Emirates, flying narrow-body routes from Dubai across the Gulf and Central Asia and into southeast and central Europe — Belgrade, Bucharest, Prague and a growing list of others. It holds no EU or UK operating licence, so European passenger rights attach to the airport you depart from, never to the airline itself.

• Departing an EU/EEA airport on flydubai — EU261 applies, so a Bucharest, Belgrade-region EU or Prague departure to Dubai is covered.
• Departing a UK airport — UK261, the retained British version of the rules, applies.
• Arriving into Europe from Dubai — not covered. The inbound limb of EU261 only reaches flights from third countries when the operating carrier is an EU airline, so a Dubai to Prague flight sits outside both regimes.

Compensation is triggered by arriving at your final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation announced with less than 14 days' notice, or being involuntarily denied boarding on an oversold flight.

How much you could receive

The amount is fixed by route distance, not by what the ticket cost:

• EUR 250 — 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — between 1,500 and 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — over 3,500 km

flydubai's European network straddles the top boundary: nearer southeast European points such as Bucharest fall in the EUR 400 band, while longer routes into central Europe, Prague among them, pass 3,500 km and pay EUR 600. UK departures use the sterling bands of GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Everyone on the booking with a confirmed seat is paid separately, whatever the fare type.

When flydubai doesn't have to pay

There is no compensation where the cause was an extraordinary circumstance unavoidable even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures or security alerts. The burden of proof sits with the airline: a one-line message blaming operational reasons is an assertion, not evidence. A strike by flydubai's own crew is generally not extraordinary, third-party strikes such as air-traffic controllers usually are, and routine technical faults found in ordinary maintenance remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from flydubai

Keep the booking reference, boarding pass and every delay or cancellation message, and note your actual arrival time at the final destination. If you booked through an Emirates codeshare, the claim still runs against the operating carrier. We handle the submission, the follow-up and any appeal, and we escalate to the enforcement body of the departure country if a claim is wrongly refused.

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.