Boliviana de Aviación compensation: when your flight from Madrid is worth €600
Boliviana de Aviación, usually shortened to BoA, is Bolivia's flag carrier. It is owned by the Bolivian state, headquartered in Cochabamba and serves just one European city: Madrid. We have already handled more than 40 BoA claims, nearly all on the long-haul link between Spain and Bolivia. If your flight out of Madrid landed 3 or more hours late, was cancelled at short notice or you were bumped, you may be owed €600 per passenger.
There is a catch: BoA is not a European airline. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only binds it on flights departing from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. A BoA-operated flight from Bolivia back to Madrid is not covered by the European rules.
Delay
Your flight from Madrid reaches its final Bolivian destination at least 3 hours behind schedule.
3 hours or more, departing the EUCancellation
BoA scrapped the departure from Spain and told you less than two weeks beforehand.
Under 14 days' noticeDenied boarding
The Madrid flight was overbooked and you were left behind despite valid documents and a timely check-in.
Payable on the spotWhen it doesn't apply
On BoA flights into Europe, on routes within South America, or after genuinely extraordinary circumstances.
Return legs and non-EU routes excludedBooked a connection or a return ticket and unsure which leg counts? Check your Boliviana de Aviación flight with the airports and date.
How much Boliviana de Aviación pays on the Madrid route
The fare you paid makes no difference: compensation depends on the distance between your departure airport and your final destination. BoA only flies long-haul out of Europe, so covered flights always qualify for the top amount.
| BoA flight | Covered by EU261? | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid–Santa Cruz de la Sierra (about 8,900 km) | Yes, it departs from Spain | €600 |
| Madrid–La Paz via a connection, single booking | Yes, the final destination counts | €600 |
| Santa Cruz de la Sierra–Madrid | No, it departs from Bolivia on a non-EU airline | — |
| La Paz–Lima, La Paz–Santa Cruz, Uyuni–La Paz | Only as an onward leg of one ticket that started in Madrid | — |
Each traveller has their own claim: a family of four on a Madrid–Santa Cruz service that arrived 5 hours late can ask for €2,400 in total. Children with their own seat receive €600 too. In our form you enter the flight once and add your fellow passengers.
BoA flight delayed: what to do
Roughly 7 in 10 BoA claims we receive concern a delay. On a flight of more than ten hours, a hold-up at Madrid-Barajas can easily cost you the domestic connection to La Paz or Cochabamba. Delay is measured when the aircraft doors open at your final stop. Our advice:
- Keep the boarding pass for the Madrid flight and every onward leg inside Bolivia.
- Ask the BoA desk for the reason in writing: the explanation given at the airport often changes later.
- Note your actual arrival time in Santa Cruz, La Paz or Cochabamba.
- Keep receipts for food, taxis and accommodation if no care was offered.
- Turn down vouchers offered instead of cash unless they genuinely suit you.
Meals and hotel in Madrid: the care BoA owes you
On flights leaving Spain, BoA must provide meals and refreshments and, if departure slips to the next day, a hotel room plus transfers. For this distance the threshold is 4 hours.
| Flight distance | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km, e.g. Madrid–Santa Cruz | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You may abandon the trip and get your fare back |
Missed connection in Bolivia
If Madrid–Santa Cruz–La Paz was on one booking and you reached La Paz 3 or more hours late, compensation is based on the whole journey from Madrid. A domestic flight on a separate ticket falls outside the rules. More on our page about delayed BoA flights.
Boliviana de Aviación flight cancelled: refund and compensation
About one in four BoA claims we handle starts with a cancellation. If the cancelled flight was due to leave Madrid, you hold two separate rights that can be combined.
Choose between getting your fare back or a seat on the next available flight to Bolivia.
Added on top if notice came less than 14 days ahead and the replacement flight misses the Regulation's time limits.
| Cancellation notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, only refund or rerouting |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, if the replacement leaves more than 2 hours earlier or lands 4 hours or more later than planned |
| Under 7 days | Yes, if the replacement leaves more than 1 hour earlier or lands 2 hours or more later |
Schedule change. If BoA moves the Madrid departure by several hours shortly before travel, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. See our guide to a cancelled BoA flight or check your case.
Overbooking on BoA: denied boarding at Madrid
It is rare among our BoA files, but if you are left at Barajas with a valid ticket and an on-time check-in, compensation is due straight away, alongside rerouting or a refund. It does not apply if you were stopped for invalid travel documents or reached the gate after it closed. Full details on our BoA overbooking and denied boarding page.
Strikes by BoA staff: your rights
If the Madrid flight is lost to industrial action by the Bolivian airline's own pilots, engineers or cabin crew, compensation is normally still payable: the EU Court of Justice treats it as part of the carrier's ordinary business risk (case C-28/20). A walkout by Spanish air traffic controllers or airport workers is outside the airline's control: no compensation, though meals, hotel and rerouting remain mandatory.
Has BoA rejected your claim? The usual reasons
Boliviana de Aviación's replies tend to rely on a handful of explanations. Here is how EU law views them.
With few long-haul aircraft, one fault can stall the rotation for hours, but maintenance is the airline's own risk.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A late inbound flight is not enough: BoA has to prove which extraordinary event caused it.
A strike by BoA's own staff normally means compensation; one by controllers or the airport does not.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20Here the airline is right: a non-EU carrier is not bound by the Regulation on flights arriving in Europe.
The BoA network: Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Madrid
BoA's main hub is Jorge Wilstermann Airport in Cochabamba, alongside El Alto (La Paz) and Viru Viru (Santa Cruz de la Sierra), where the flights to Spain depart. The airline also serves Miami, Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Lima: none of those routes leave the EU, so the European Regulation does not apply to them.
For domestic Bolivian flights or departures from Bolivia, the relevant authority is the ATT, Bolivia's transport regulator, which applies its own rules.
How to claim from Boliviana de Aviación: on your own or with us
You can contact customer service through the official website boa.bo with your booking reference, flight number and passenger names. Replies often come in Spanish.
Free, but you deal with the correspondence yourself. If BoA refuses, you must turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (AESA in Spain) or to the civil courts, at your own expense.
A 2-minute online form and e-signature. Claim, formal demand and court action with our own lawyers: you only pay if you win, 25% + VAT. Legal costs are on us, even if the case is lost.
Already turned down?
We check that the flight left the EU and that the stated reason is valid. If it isn't, we reopen the case with a formal letter before action.
What you need
- BoA e-ticketShowing every leg, including domestic flights.
- PassportA copy for each passenger, children included.
- Evidence of the disruptionAirline messages, photos of departure boards, receipts.
Time limits for claiming
The Regulation sets no deadline: the limitation period of the country where you bring the claim applies, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11. Even an older flight from Madrid may still be within time: enter the date and we'll check.
How long BoA takes to pay
If Boliviana de Aviación accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses or stays silent, a formal demand and possibly court action are needed, which adds several months. We keep you posted at every step and, once paid, transfer your share: from €600 you keep €417.
Lost or damaged luggage on a BoA flight
Missing, delayed or damaged bags fall under the Montreal Convention, including between Europe and Bolivia. On arrival, fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk, then send BoA a written claim within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for delay.
Boliviana de Aviación contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Boliviana de Aviación, Cochabamba, Bolivia
- Complaints
- Customer service via the official website boa.bo
- Flight status
- Flight information section of the BoA website
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