Pakistan International Airlines Compensation 2026

Pakistan International Airlines compensation: up to €600 per passenger

Pakistan International Airlines flight delayed, cancelled or overbooked? Check for free in 2 minutes: we handle the claim, all the way to court if needed.

Up to €600 per passenger

Check in just 2 minutes

Nothing upfront: you only pay if you get compensation

Legal assistance specialised in air travel

DelayFlight24 applies European Regulation EC 261/2004

In short

Delay: if you arrive 3 hours or more late, Pakistan International Airlines owes €250 to €600 per person, depending on the distance.

Cancellation: you are owed compensation if you were told less than 14 days before departure, on top of a ticket refund or an alternative flight.

Not owed for extraordinary circumstances (severe weather, air traffic control strikes). Technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff usually are not extraordinary.

With DelayFlight24 you pay nothing upfront: if Pakistan International Airlines pays, you keep €173.75 out of €250 or €278 out of €400.

Pakistan International Airlines compensation: when PIA has to pay

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is Pakistan's flag carrier, headquartered at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, with further hubs in Lahore and Islamabad. After a ban on flying into the EU imposed in June 2020 and lifted by EASA at the end of November 2024, PIA returned to Europe in January 2025 with Islamabad–Paris. The UK lifted its own ban in July 2025, and Islamabad–Manchester followed that October.

PIA is a non-EU airline. Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 it only owes compensation on flights leaving an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. Paris–Islamabad is covered; Islamabad–Paris is not, even though it lands in Europe. Flights departing the UK, such as Manchester–Islamabad, fall under the UK's own version of the rules (UK261).

Late departure from Europe

Reaching Pakistan, or your final destination, three hours or more late.

European departures only

Flight cancelled

PIA told you less than 14 days before your European departure.

Late notice

Offloaded

Flight full and boarding refused at a European airport despite a valid ticket.

Immediate compensation

Not covered

Flights from Pakistan to Europe, domestic Pakistani routes, genuinely extraordinary events.

Outside the Regulation

Not sure whether your flight qualifies? Enter the airports and date and we'll tell you straight away.

How much PIA pays: almost always €600

Every PIA route between Europe and Pakistan is longer than 3,500 km, so the top amount applies:

Flight	Distance	Compensation
Paris–Islamabad	About 5,900 km	€600
Islamabad–Paris	Departs outside the EU	Not covered
Karachi–Islamabad, Karachi–Dubai	No European airport involved	Not covered

Each passenger has their own claim: a family of five, children with seats included, flying out of Paris and landing in Islamabad four hours late can recover €3,000. After our 25% + VAT fee, you keep €417 per person.

Delayed PIA flight from Europe: what to do

Keep the boarding pass for the PK flight out of Europe.
Photograph the departures board showing the new time, and the arrivals board on landing.
Ask PIA's airport desk for the reason in writing.
Hold on to receipts if you are not given meals or a hotel.
Turn down vouchers offered instead of cash if they don't suit you.

Care you are entitled to in Europe

Distance	Meals and drinks from
Up to 1,500 km	2 hours
1,500–3,500 km	3 hours
Over 3,500 km, such as Paris–Islamabad	4 hours
Over 5 hours	Abandon the trip and get a refund

Onward to Lahore or Karachi

On a single ticket such as Paris–Islamabad–Karachi, the delay on arrival in Karachi is what counts. More on the delayed PIA flight page.

Does your Pakistan International Airlines flight qualify?Check in 2 minutes, with no obligation.

Check your flight

PIA flight cancelled out of Europe

Refund or rebooking

You choose between your money back and another flight.

Up to €600

Added on top if notice came less than 14 days ahead.

Notice received	Compensation
14 days or more	No
7–13 days	Yes, unless the new flight left no more than 2 hours earlier and arrived less than 4 hours late
Under 7 days	Yes, unless the new flight left no more than 1 hour earlier and arrived less than 2 hours late

Schedule changes. With only a few flights a week, moving a departure to another day or time makes a big difference and may count as a cancellation. Details on the cancelled PIA flight page.

PIA overbooking in Europe

If you are denied boarding in Paris because the flight is oversold, compensation is due at once. See our guide to PIA overbooking.

Strikes by PIA staff

When PIA pilots or crew walk out, compensation is normally payable (case C-28/20). A French air traffic control strike, on the other hand, is an outside event.

How PIA tends to turn claims down

Usually payable

"Technical problem with the Boeing 777"

Breakdowns are part of an airline's ordinary operations.

CJEU, case C-549/07

It depends

"Airspace closed"

A closure ordered by the authorities on safety grounds is external, but PIA must show it actually caused your delay.

Often not payable

"Your flight left from Lahore"

That is right: for a non-EU airline, departures from Pakistan are outside the Regulation.

Has PIA rejected your claim? We check its reasoning and, if it doesn't stand up, take over. Check your PIA flight.

Codeshares and privatisation

PIA also sells codeshare connections operated by other airlines, for example Turkish Airlines via Istanbul: there the claim goes to whichever airline operated the flight. In December 2025 a 75% stake in PIA was sold to a consortium led by Arif Habib; the change of owner does not affect passengers' rights. Before 2020 PIA also served other European cities: for flights that old, time limits need checking case by case.

Claiming from PIA: on your own or with us

On your own

Write to PIA through the channels on its official website, where replies are often slow. If it refuses, go to the national enforcement body of the country the flight departed from (the CAA for UK departures) or to court.

With DelayFlight24

We handle the claim, formal demand and court action with our own lawyers. You pay only on success: 25% + VAT, leaving you €417 out of €600. Legal costs are ours, even if we lose.

Documents needed

PIA e-ticketWith the booking reference.
PassportFor every passenger.
Evidence of the delayTexts, emails, photos of the board.

Time limits

National law sets the deadline (case C-139/11). Enter your flight date and we'll check.

How long PIA takes to pay

If PIA accepts, the money usually arrives within a few weeks; with a formal demand or legal action it takes a few months. We keep you posted by email.

Lost baggage on a PIA flight

The Montreal Convention applies, including on flights from Pakistan: file a PIR at the airport, then claim within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for delay.

PIA contact details and flight status

Head office: Pakistan International Airlines, Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan
Complaints: Customer service channels on the official website, piac.com.pk
Frequent flyer programme: Awards Plus

Nothing to pay upfront. You only pay if PIA compensates you. Check your PIA flight.

What if Pakistan International Airlines does not pay? We go all the way

Many airlines only pay when they realise we will not give up. If they refuse or do not reply, our lawyers take legal action, and you do not have to do anything.

Claim to the airline

We send the formal claim with all the documents.

Formal notice

If they do not pay, we send a formal notice with legal value.

Our lawyers in court

Our lawyers take the airline to court, all the way to a judgement.

If we lose, you pay nothingNo fee and no costs. If we win, the fee is 40% + VAT.

Legal costs are on usYou pay nothing for the court case, even if we lose.

All the way to a judgementWe do not stop at the formal notice: if needed we go to court.

Pakistan International Airlines compensation: frequently asked questions

Does PIA have to compensate delayed flights from Pakistan to the UK or Europe?

No. PIA is a non-EU airline, so Regulation 261/2004 only covers its flights departing an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland, and UK261 only covers departures from the UK. Return flights from Islamabad or Lahore are not covered.

How much is due for a delay on Paris–Islamabad?

€600 per passenger, because the route is over 3,500 km, provided you arrive 3 hours or more late and the cause is not an extraordinary circumstance.

Is PIA flying to Europe and the UK again?

Yes. After the EASA ban in force from June 2020 was lifted at the end of November 2024, PIA resumed European flights in January 2025 with Islamabad–Paris. The UK lifted its ban in July 2025 and Manchester followed in October 2025.

My PIA ticket included a flight operated by Turkish Airlines. Who do I claim from?

From the airline that operated the flight. If the leg departing Europe was operated by Turkish Airlines, the claim goes to Turkish Airlines.

I missed my connection in Islamabad. Am I entitled to anything?

Yes, if the first flight departed from the EU and you had a single booking to your final destination: the delay at the final destination is what counts.

Does PIA's privatisation change anything for my claim?

No. A majority stake passed to a private consortium in December 2025, but the airline remains liable for the flights it operated and passengers' rights are unchanged.

PIA blamed a technical fault. Is that a valid excuse?

Usually not. The Court of Justice of the EU (case C-549/07) treats technical faults as part of an airline's normal activity.

What does it cost to hand you my PIA claim?

Nothing upfront. If PIA pays, we keep 25% + VAT: you receive €417 of €600. Legal costs are ours even if the case is lost.

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