Air Malta and KM Malta Airlines compensation: €250 or €400 per passenger
Looking for Air Malta? The airline flew for the last time on 30 March 2024. Since 31 March 2024 its place has been taken by KM Malta Airlines, a new carrier owned by the Maltese government that kept the KM code, the Airbus A320neo fleet and most of the routes. Whichever of the two operated your flight, a 3-hour delay, a last-minute cancellation or being bumped can be worth €250 or €400 per passenger. We have already helped more than 220 passengers of these two airlines.
Both are Maltese, so both are EU airlines. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers their flights departing from the EU and also those arriving in the EU from outside it, such as Tel Aviv to Malta.
Delay
You reached Malta or your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled time.
3 hours on arrivalCancellation
Your flight was cancelled and you heard about it less than two weeks before departure.
Under 14 days' noticeOverbooking
The plane was full and you were left behind, even though you checked in on time.
Paid straight awayNo payout
Events the airline could not control, such as a storm over the island or an air traffic control strike.
Extraordinary circumstancesAir Malta or KM? It makes no difference to us: enter your route and date and we'll check.
How much Air Malta and KM Malta Airlines pay
Routes to and from Malta fall into two compensation bands. These are the ones our clients claim for most:
| Distance | Routes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Rome–Malta, Munich–Malta, Malta–Vienna | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Madrid–Malta, Malta–Madrid, Paris Orly–Malta | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | None of the airline's routes are this long | €600 |
Every passenger is entitled to their own payment, including children with a seat: a family of four on a Madrid–Malta flight that landed 4 hours late could claim €1,600.
KM Malta Airlines flight delayed: what to do
More than 8 in 10 Air Malta and KM claims we handle are about delays. With a small fleet, a morning problem tends to ripple through every rotation that day. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass or the confirmation with your booking reference.
- Note when the aircraft door opens on arrival: that is the time that counts.
- Save emails and texts from the airline showing the new time and the stated cause.
- Ask for meal vouchers and keep receipts for anything you pay for.
- Turn down vouchers offered instead of cash compensation.
Care while you wait
Whether or not compensation is due, the airline must give you food and drink and, if you have to fly the next day, a hotel and transfers:
| Distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (such as London–Malta) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You can choose not to fly and get your money back |
Missed connection in Malta
On one booking, for example Munich–Malta–Tel Aviv, what matters is arrival at your final destination: 3 hours or more late there, and compensation is based on the total distance. With separate tickets, each flight is judged on its own. More on our page about Air Malta delayed flight compensation.
Air Malta or KM flight cancelled: refund and compensation
Cancellations make up fewer than 1 in 10 of our cases, but from an island the alternatives are limited. There are two separate rights:
Always owed: you choose between your money back and another departure.
On top, if the cancellation reached you less than 14 days before.
| Notice received | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No: refund or rebooking only |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours late |
Air Malta bookings after 30 March 2024. Air Malta cancelled all flights scheduled after its closure months in advance and refunded the tickets. With that much notice, no compensation is owed. See our guide to a cancelled Air Malta flight.
Overbooking with Air Malta and KM Malta Airlines
In our figures, denied boarding weighs more than with other airlines: almost 1 claim in 10. In summer and over holidays, flights to Malta fill up and some passengers end up stranded. If it happened against your will, compensation is due at once, along with another flight. Read more about Air Malta overbooking.
Strikes and flights to Malta
A strike by the airline's own pilots or cabin crew usually means compensation is owed: the EU Court of Justice treats it as part of the carrier's business (case C-28/20). A walkout by French or Italian air traffic controllers, by contrast, is an extraordinary circumstance: only care and a refund remain.
Air Malta or KM said no? What's behind the refusal
With just eight aircraft, one fault disrupts the whole day, but it is still the airline's risk.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A plane arriving late from another flight is not enough: there must be an extraordinary event at the root.
Wind can genuinely shut the airport, but it has to be proven for the time of your flight.
If documented for that slot, they are extraordinary. We check them before replying to you.
From Air Malta to KM Malta Airlines: what it means for claims
Air Malta's last flights operated on 30 March 2024; from the next day KM Malta Airlines took over. It is a new, separate company owned by the government of Malta, headquartered in Luqa and based at Malta International Airport. For flights from 31 March 2024 the claim goes to KM Malta Airlines. For earlier flights operated by Air Malta, the carrier no longer flies, so we look at each case to see whether a claim is still possible and against whom.
Flights from the UK
KM Malta Airlines flies to London. As an EU airline, its London–Malta and Malta–London flights are both covered by the EU rules; departures from the UK also fall under UK261, which pays £350 at this distance. Disputes on UK departures go to the CAA.
Codeshares and new routes
KM sells seats on partner flights such as Lufthansa, ITA Airways, Air France and KLM. If a partner operated your flight, the claim goes to that airline: just give us the flight number. For summer 2026 the airline added Palermo, Málaga and Tel Aviv.
How to claim from KM Malta Airlines: alone or with us
You can contact customer service through kmmaltairlines.com with your booking reference and flight details.
Free, but the whole process is down to you. If refused, you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed, or to the courts, at your own cost.
Two minutes on our form and an online signature. Formal demand and court action with our lawyers are on us. You pay only if you're compensated: 25% + VAT.
Refusal already received
Forward us the airline's reply: if the reason isn't valid, we reopen the case with a formal demand.
Useful documents
- Booking confirmationWith the reference and passenger names.
- Passport or ID cardFor each traveller, children included.
- EvidenceMessages received, a photo of the board, receipts.
Time limit
The regulation sets no deadline: the rules of the country where you claim apply (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11), and they differ between states. Enter your flight date and we'll tell you if you're in time.
When you'll get paid
If the airline accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses or goes quiet, a formal demand and possible court action take a few months. We keep you posted and, once paid, transfer your share: €173.75 of €250, or €278 of €400.
Lost or damaged bags on Malta flights
Luggage falls under the Montreal Convention. Fill in a PIR at the airport baggage desk, then send a written claim within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.
KM Malta Airlines contacts and flight status
- Head office
- KM Malta Airlines, Luqa, Malta
- Claims
- Customer service via kmmaltairlines.com
- Flight status
- KM Malta Airlines official website
- Loyalty scheme
- KM Rewards
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