KM Malta Airlines flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a KM Malta Airlines flight

KM Malta Airlines took over as Malta's national carrier from Air Malta in 2024, flying the same core network from Malta International Airport under a fresh Maltese operating licence. That licence makes it an EU carrier, which is the fact that decides how far your rights reach.

• Departing any EU/EEA airport — Malta, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich — EU261 applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA from outside it — EU261 still applies, because the operating carrier is EU-licensed.
• Flights to and from London — UK261, the retained British version of the same rules, covers both directions on a UK route flown by an EU carrier departing the UK, and EU261 covers the Malta departure.

In practice the whole KM Malta network sits inside one regime or the other. Compensation is triggered by arriving at your final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation with less than 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding when you checked in on time.

How much you could receive

Amounts are fixed by route distance, not ticket price:

• EUR 250 — routes of 1,500 km or less, such as Malta–Rome or Malta–Catania
• EUR 400 — routes over 1,500 km, which captures most of the network: Malta–Paris, Malta–Amsterdam, Malta–Brussels and the London flights when EU261 applies
• EUR 600 — routes over 3,500 km, which the current schedule rarely reaches

UK261 uses GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520; a delayed London–Malta departure sits in the GBP 350 band. Each passenger with a confirmed seat claims separately, so a family of four multiplies the figure by four.

When KM Malta Airlines doesn't have to pay

There is no compensation for extraordinary circumstances the airline could not avoid with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts.

The burden of proof is on the airline. A one-line reference to operational reasons is not evidence. A strike by KM Malta's own crew is generally not extraordinary; strikes by third parties such as controllers or handlers usually are. Routine technical faults are the airline's responsibility, even when described as unexpected.

How to claim from KM Malta Airlines

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes and every message about the disruption, and ask for the reason in writing. Claims touching the old Air Malta may raise questions about liability — we deal with that. We submit the claim, follow it up, and escalate to the Maltese enforcement body or the UK CAA, or to 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.