Saudia flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a Saudia flight

Saudia is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, with hubs at Jeddah and Riyadh and long-haul routes across Europe, Asia and North America. It is not an EU or UK carrier, so your rights turn on the airport you leave from, not on the airline.

Because Saudia holds no EU or UK licence, protection attaches to the departure airport only:

• Departing any EU/EEA airport on Saudia — EU261 applies, as it does to any operating carrier leaving Europe.
• Departing the UK on Saudia — UK261 applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from Jeddah or Riyadh — not covered, because Saudia is not a Community carrier and the inbound limb requires an EU or UK airline.

A London, Paris, Frankfurt or Madrid departure to Saudi Arabia is protected; the same route flown from Jeddah or Riyadh into Europe is not. As these are long-haul services, many eligible claims reach the top band.

How much you could receive

The sum is set by route distance, not by the fare or the cabin, and each passenger with a confirmed booking claims separately.

• EUR 250 — flights of 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — flights over 3,500 km, which covers most Saudia departures from Europe

UK261 claims use GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Under Article 7(2), the airline may halve the top figure where a re-routed long-haul flight arrives under four hours late, so the arrival time at your final destination matters.

When Saudia doesn't have to pay

Compensation falls away where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances outside its control and unavoidable even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, ATC restrictions, airport closures, security incidents or a bird strike.

Two things are commonly misstated:

• Saudia must prove the defence. A bare reference to "operational reasons" is not evidence and should be tested against the conditions recorded that day.
• Own-crew strikes are generally not extraordinary, whereas strikes by air-traffic controllers or third-party airport staff usually are.

Routine technical faults discovered during normal maintenance normally remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from Saudia

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes for each leg, and any email or app notification of the change. For a missed connection, record the actual arrival time at your final destination — that is the figure the regulation uses.

We handle the submission, the follow-up and any appeal from start to finish.

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.