Air Horizont compensation: your rights on charter flights
Few people book Air Horizont directly: you usually end up on one of its Boeing 737s through a package holiday or another airline that has hired the aircraft, so many passengers never claim because they do not know who to ask. We have handled around 100 Air Horizont claims so far, covering more than 170 passengers, mostly on holiday routes to and from Lampedusa, Porto Santo, Gran Canaria, Crete and Calabria.
Air Horizont is a Maltese airline with offices in Malta and Spain, so it counts as an EU carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers its flights leaving any EU airport and also its flights into the EU from outside, such as a return charter from Tunisia.
Late charter
You reach your final destination at least 3 hours after the time printed on your ticket or holiday voucher.
3+ hours late on arrivalCancelled flight
You were told less than 14 days before departure and not offered a replacement at similar times.
Short noticeBumped off
You reached the check-in desk on time with a confirmed seat but were left behind because the aircraft was full.
Due immediatelyNo payout
When the disruption comes from something outside the airline's control, such as a storm or closed airspace.
Extraordinary eventsAll you need is the flight number and date. Find out in 2 minutes whether your Air Horizont flight qualifies.
How much Air Horizont pays on holiday routes
The amount depends only on the distance between the departure airport and your final destination,. Routes our customers actually flew:
| Air Horizont route | Distance | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lampedusa–Milan | about 1,170 km | €250 |
| Bratislava–Lamezia Terme | about 1,030 km | €250 |
| Rome–Djerba | about 890 km | €250 |
| Porto Santo–Porto | about 1,130 km | €250 |
| Bratislava–Heraklion | about 1,570 km | €400 |
| Gran Canaria–Porto | about 1,600 km | €400 |
Two adults and two children on a Gran Canaria–Porto charter that lands 4 hours late can claim €1,600 between them, because a child with their own seat is owed the same as an adult.
Air Horizont flight delayed: what to do at the airport
Nearly 9 in 10 of the Air Horizont claims we receive are about delays. This is typical of charter flying: one aircraft flies several rotations a day, so a problem in the morning drags on until the last return leg from Djerba or Heraklion. Air Horizont does not offer online check-in, so your boarding card comes from the airport desk.
- Hold on to the paper boarding card and the tour operator's voucher: together they prove you flew.
- Ask the desk or your holiday rep why the flight is late, and write down the answer and the time.
- Photograph the departures screen and, on landing, the actual arrival time.
- Keep receipts for food, taxis and hotels if nobody handed out vouchers or a room.
- Do not sign a waiver in exchange for a discount on your next holiday.
Meals and a hotel while you wait
The airline operating the flight must provide food and drink and, if departure moves to the next day, a hotel night plus transfers.
| Flight length | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (e.g. Rome–Djerba) | 2 hours |
| 1,500–3,500 km (e.g. Bratislava–Heraklion) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay over 5 hours | You may cancel the trip and get the fare back |
Connections on a charter booking
If the Air Horizont flight was part of one booking with another flight and you reached the final destination 3 hours late or more, the final arrival and the total distance count. A connecting flight bought separately is not covered. More on our page about Air Horizont delay compensation.
Air Horizont flight cancelled: refund and compensation
About 1 in 10 of our Air Horizont cases is a cancellation. On charters it often means the tour operator moved the whole group to another day.
Always yours to choose. If the flight was part of a package, the refund usually comes through the tour operator.
€250 or €400 per person on Air Horizont routes when the notice came too late.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, but refund or rerouting remain |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours early and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour early and lands less than 2 hours late |
New flight times. If, shortly before you travel, the outbound or return charter is brought forward or pushed back by several hours, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Read more about compensation for a cancelled Air Horizont flight.
Denied boarding on an Air Horizont charter
None of our Air Horizont cases has involved overbooking, as seats are sold in blocks to tour operators. If you are refused boarding against your will with a confirmed seat and on time, compensation is due on the spot along with a new flight. See our guide to Air Horizont overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes and Air Horizont flights
A walkout by Air Horizont's own pilots or cabin crew does not excuse the airline: the EU Court of Justice ruled that staff strikes are part of normal business (case C-28/20). Summer strikes by air traffic controllers or airport staff are different: no compensation, although meals and accommodation are still owed.
Air Horizont turned down your claim? How to read the reply
The replies charter passengers hear most often:
With a small fleet there is rarely a spare aircraft, so a fault can ground passengers for hours. Maintenance is still part of the airline's ordinary activity.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07Compensation is owed by the airline that operated the flight, even when the seat came with a package holiday.
A delay carried over from previous legs is not enough on its own: the airline has to prove an extraordinary event started it.
Valid only if they really held up your flight. We check the weather and restrictions for that day before accepting it.
Air Horizont flights sold by tour operators and other airlines
Most of Air Horizont's work is charter and ACMI flying, where it leases aircraft and crew to other companies. In practice:
- your holiday voucher may only show the tour operator's name;
- the flight may carry another airline's code while the aircraft and crew were Air Horizont's;
- besides Milan Malpensa, the airline uses seasonal bases such as Bratislava and Porto.
Compensation is always owed by the carrier that operated the flight; we work it out from the flight number and date.
How to claim from Air Horizont: on your own or with us
Air Horizont has no dedicated online claim form; you write to it through the contact page on its website.
You write to the airline yourself and must show the flight was theirs. If they refuse, your options are the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed or the courts, at your own cost.
Sign online and we identify the operating carrier, send the claim and, if needed, go to court with our own lawyers. You pay only if you win: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
Already refused?
A rejection, or being passed back and forth between airline and tour operator, does not end the matter. If the reason is weak, we follow up with a formal demand.
Documents to have ready
- Boarding card or holiday voucherOr the tour operator's confirmation.
- Passport or ID cardFor each traveller, children included.
- Messages about the changeTexts or emails from the agent, tour operator or airline.
Is there a deadline?
The Regulation sets none: the time limit comes from the law of the country where you bring the claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed (case C-139/11). A charter from a past summer may still be claimable: enter your flight date.
How long an Air Horizont payout takes
When the airline accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses or stays silent, a formal demand and possibly court action add a few months. Once the money reaches us, we transfer your share.
Lost or damaged luggage on Air Horizont
Baggage falls under the Montreal Convention rather than Regulation 261. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk before leaving the airport, then complain in writing within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of getting the bag back for a delay.
Air Horizont contact details and flight information
- Head office
- Air Horizont Ltd, Malta (with offices in Spain)
- Complaints
- "Contacto" page on airhorizont.com, which also hosts its passenger rights notice
- Flight status
- Your tour operator or travel agent, and the departure airport's website
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