Air India compensation: up to €600 for delayed and cancelled flights from Europe
We have handled more than 1,200 Air India claims, many on flights from Heathrow, Birmingham, Milan and Paris to Delhi and Mumbai. If your Air India flight from Europe or the UK landed 3 hours or more late, was cancelled at short notice or left without you because it was overbooked, you may be owed fixed compensation. Every route between Europe and India is over 3,500 km, so it is the top band: €600 per passenger.
One rule catches many travellers out: Air India is an Indian airline, headquartered in Gurugram near Delhi, not a European one. Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 it only has to pay compensation on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Flights from the UK follow the British version of the same rules. Your return flight from India is not covered, even if it is on the same ticket.
Delayed flight
Your Air India flight from Europe or the UK reached its final destination at least 3 hours behind schedule.
3+ hours late on arrivalCancelled flight
You were told less than 14 days before departure and the replacement flight did not run close to the original times.
Under 14 days' noticeOverbooking
Air India refused to board you at a European or UK airport although you had a confirmed seat and were on time.
Owed on the spotWhen it is not owed
On flights from India to Europe, and when Air India can prove a genuinely extraordinary circumstance.
Inbound flights and real emergenciesEnter your departure airport, destination and date and we will tell you in a couple of minutes, free of charge. Check your Air India flight.
How much Air India pays: €600 or the UK equivalent
What you paid for the ticket makes no difference: compensation is a fixed sum based on the distance to your final destination. Here is how the rules apply to the Air India routes we see most often.
| Air India route | Rules that apply | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow–Delhi, London–Mumbai | UK261 (departure from the UK) | £520 |
| Birmingham–Delhi | UK261 (departure from the UK) | £520 |
| Milan–Delhi, Paris–Delhi | EU261 (departure from the EU) | €600 |
| Mumbai–London, Delhi–Milan | Indian airline departing outside the EU and UK | Not covered |
Compensation is paid per passenger, so a family of four on a Heathrow–Delhi flight that arrived 5 hours late could claim £2,080 between them, and a child with their own seat receives the same as an adult.
Delayed Air India flight: what to do at the airport
Delays account for more than 7 in 10 of the Air India claims we handle. What counts is when the first door opens at your destination, not touchdown, so taxiing time matters. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass, paper or in the Air India app, as proof you actually flew.
- Screenshot every update Air India sends by email or text, especially the reason it gives for the delay.
- Ask the Air India desk why the flight is late and write the answer down with the time.
- Keep receipts for food, transport and hotels at Heathrow or your departure airport: if no care was offered, you can claim them back.
- Turn down vouchers or Maharaja Club miles offered instead of cash until you know what you are entitled to.
Meals and hotel: the care Air India owes you
Whatever caused the delay, on flights from Europe and the UK Air India must provide meals and refreshments and, if departure moves to the next day, a hotel room and transfers.
| Flight distance | Care owed after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km (every Europe–India route) | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You can abandon the trip and get a refund |
Missed connection in Delhi or Mumbai
If the journey began in Europe or the UK on a single booking and you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late because of a missed connection, compensation is based on the total distance. With separate tickets, each flight is assessed on its own. Read more about compensation for a delayed Air India flight.
Cancelled Air India flight: refund and compensation
Cancellations make up about 1 in 5 of our Air India claims. Passengers often accept the rebooking email and assume that is the end of it, but a refund and compensation are separate rights that can be combined.
You choose: your money back, or another flight to India as soon as possible or on a later date that suits you.
An extra payment if you heard about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure and the alternative flight did not meet the time limits.
| When Air India told you | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | Not owed: refund or rebooking only |
| 7 to 13 days before | Owed, unless the new flight left no more than 2 hours earlier and arrived less than 4 hours later |
| Less than 7 days before | Owed, unless the new flight left no more than 1 hour earlier and arrived less than 2 hours later |
Rescheduled flights. If Air India moved your departure from London or Milan by several hours shortly before you travelled, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Already had your refund? Find out whether compensation is owed as well. More detail on our page about compensation for a cancelled Air India flight.
Air India overbooking: denied boarding in Europe
Overbooking is rare in our Air India cases, around 2 in 100, but it does happen. If you are turned away at the gate at Heathrow, Birmingham or Paris against your will, holding a confirmed booking and checked in on time, Air India owes you compensation straight away, plus a new flight or a refund.
No compensation is due if boarding was refused for reasons on your side, such as an invalid Indian visa, a passport too close to expiry or reaching the gate after it closed. Unsure which applies? Run the free check and see our guide to Air India overbooking and denied boarding.
Air India strikes and your right to compensation
When Air India's own staff, such as pilots, cabin crew or engineers, go on strike, compensation is normally payable: the EU Court of Justice has ruled that industrial action by an airline's own employees is part of its normal business (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or airport workers is outside the airline's control, so no compensation is due, although Air India must still look after you and offer a refund or new flight.
Air India rejected your claim? The usual excuses
Air India usually cites extraordinary circumstances or argues the flight is not covered. Sometimes that is right; often it is not.
Faults found in service or during maintenance are a normal operating risk and do not let the airline off. The exception is a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the manufacturer or the authorities. Check your flight.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07The same plane usually flies Delhi–London and back. A late inbound flight is not extraordinary in itself; Air India has to prove an exceptional cause behind it.
A sudden closure for security reasons can be extraordinary. A diversion known about for weeks should already be built into the schedule.
Here Air India is usually right: as a non-European airline it does not owe EU or UK compensation on flights from India.
Flights from India and the UK: what EU rules do not cover
Many requests concern the journey home, such as Mumbai–London or Delhi–Milan. As Air India is neither a European nor a British airline, neither EU261 nor UK261 applies to flights from India. In short:
- covered by EU261: Air India flights from Milan, Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Zurich
- covered by UK261: flights from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Birmingham
- covered: onward connections via Delhi when the single booking starts in Europe or the UK
- not covered: flights from India to Europe or the UK, including the return leg of the same ticket
Since 2024 Vistara has been merged into Air India, part of the Tata Group: if you held a Vistara ticket for a flight later operated by Air India, the same rules apply.
How to claim from Air India: on your own or with us
Air India has a dedicated "EU/UK Flight Delay Form" on its website for flights departing from Europe and the UK; you need your ticket number, surname and flight details.
It is free, but you handle the correspondence and judge whether the answer is right. If Air India says no, your options are the national enforcement body of the country you departed from (the CAA for UK flights) or the courts, at your own cost.
Fill in the form and sign online in a few minutes. We take care of the claim, the formal letter and court action with our own lawyers. You only pay if you get compensation: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Air India has already rejected your claim
You can still pass the case to us after using Air India's form. We review the reason given and, if it does not stand up, send a formal letter before action.
Documents to have ready
- E-ticket or boarding passThe confirmation email or a screenshot from the Air India app is fine.
- PassportFor every passenger on the booking, children included.
- Air India messagesDelay, cancellation or schedule-change emails and any expense receipts.
Time limit for an Air India claim
The Regulation sets no deadline: national law in the country where you bring the claim decides, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11. A trip to India a few years ago may well still be in time: enter your flight date and we will tell you.
How long Air India takes to pay
If Air India accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses or goes quiet, a formal letter and sometimes court action are needed, which adds a few months. We keep you posted by email and transfer your share by bank transfer as soon as Air India pays. From €600 you keep €417, from €400 you keep €278 and from €250 you keep €173.75.
Lost or damaged luggage on Air India
Bags that are lost, damaged or delayed fall under the Montreal Convention, which also applies on flights from India. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before leaving the airport, then write to Air India within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of getting your bag back for a delay.
Air India contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Air India Limited, Gurugram (Haryana), India
- Main hub
- Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi; further bases in Mumbai and Bengaluru
- Claims
- "EU/UK Flight Delay Form" on airindia.com
- Flight status
- Air India app or the official website
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