Montenegro Airlines compensation: the airline shut down in 2020
Montenegro Airlines was Montenegro's national carrier, headquartered in Podgorica with a second base at Tivat on the Bay of Kotor. Set up by the Montenegrin government in 1994, it stopped flying on 26 December 2020, when the state withdrew its support after years of losses and ordered the company into liquidation. Its final flight was a Belgrade–Podgorica service on Christmas Day. If you had trouble with a Montenegro Airlines flight, this page explains what the law said and what is still realistic today.
Montenegro is not an EU member, so Montenegro Airlines was a non-EU carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only covered its flights departing from the EU or Switzerland, such as Frankfurt–Podgorica or Zurich–Tivat. Return legs from Montenegro were outside the rules.
Delay
Landing in Montenegro 3 hours or more late on a flight from a European airport.
Flights up to December 2020Cancellation
Including the sudden cancellations of late December 2020, which came with no notice at all.
Under 14 days' noticeBumped
Left behind on an oversold flight despite valid travel documents.
Due on the spotNot covered
Departures from Podgorica, Tivat, Belgrade or Moscow, and outside events such as severe weather.
ExclusionsWondering whether your case is worth pursuing? Enter your Montenegro Airlines flight and we will assess it free of charge.
What Montenegro Airlines should have paid
The network was compact, mostly within central and western Europe, so nearly every route fell into the lowest band.
| Distance | Montenegro Airlines flights from Europe | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Frankfurt–Podgorica, Zurich–Podgorica, Vienna–Podgorica, Ljubljana–Podgorica, Rome–Podgorica | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | London–Podgorica | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | No route on the network was this long | €600 |
Each traveller had an individual claim: a family of four stranded in London by a cancelled London–Podgorica flight would have been owed €1,600, plus the ticket price.
Flights from the UK. Montenegro Airlines stopped flying before the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, so its departures from London were still covered by the EU rules.
Delayed Montenegro Airlines flight before the closure
Reaching Podgorica or Tivat at least 3 hours late, measured when the aircraft doors opened, triggered compensation. To build a claim today, dig out:
- Your booking confirmation from the airline website or the travel agent.
- Your boarding pass, even a photo or a PDF in an old inbox.
- Any messages about the delay or the suspension of flights.
- Proof of payment, such as a card statement.
- Receipts for extra costs: meals, a hotel, a replacement ticket on another airline.
Care you were entitled to at the airport
| Flight | Meals and drinks after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (Vienna–Podgorica) | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (London–Podgorica) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| 5 hours or more | Right to abandon the trip and get your money back |
Connections through Podgorica
On a single ticket starting in the EU, only arrival at the final destination counted. More on our page about a delayed Montenegro Airlines flight.
Flights cancelled in late December 2020
Anyone booked on a departure from Europe after 25 December 2020 saw the trip vanish overnight. Two rights applied:
For a flight that never operated, the price paid had to be returned.
On top of that, because the shutdown stemmed from the airline's own finances, not an outside event.
| Notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the alternative left no more than 2 hours early and landed less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the alternative left no more than 1 hour early and landed less than 2 hours late |
The real obstacle. When it closed, the airline said it had no money to refund unused tickets, so refunds and compensation became claims in the liquidation. If the flight was part of a package holiday, the tour operator is also liable for the package. More on a cancelled Montenegro Airlines flight.
Montenegro Airlines overbooking
If you were refused boarding against your will on a flight from Europe, say Zurich–Tivat, compensation was due at once, along with an alternative flight. Missing documents or reaching the gate after it closed ruled it out. See our guide to Montenegro Airlines overbooking.
Strikes and financial collapse
A strike by the airline's own staff did not excuse it from paying (EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20); one by air traffic controllers did. The same logic applies to running out of cash: that is a business risk, not an extraordinary circumstance.
Objections you may come across
Faults found during routine maintenance do not let the carrier off.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07An internal problem: the right exists, the limit is the ability to pay.
Correct: for a non-EU carrier, departures from Montenegro fall outside the Regulation.
Air Montenegro is a different company
In 2021 the government launched a new national airline, first known as the ToMontenegro project and later named Air Montenegro, which started out with two Embraer jets from the old fleet. It is a separate company: claims about Montenegro Airlines flights belong in the old airline's liquidation, not with the new carrier.
How to make a claim
You need to find the liquidation proceedings in Montenegro and lodge your claim there; you can also contact the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed.
Send us the details and we assess whether and how to proceed. You only pay if money comes in: 25% + VAT. Legal costs stay with us, even if we lose.
Documents
- Ticket and boarding passWith the YM flight number.
- IDFor every passenger.
- Emails and receiptsAirline notices and expenses.
Deadlines
The Regulation has no deadline of its own: the law of the country where you claim applies (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). For flights several years old, time may have run out in some countries: give us the date and we will check.
Realistic timescales
With an airline in liquidation, timing depends on the proceedings and can run well beyond a few months; the outcome is not guaranteed either.
Lost luggage with Montenegro Airlines
Bags were covered by the Montreal Convention: a PIR at the airport, then a written claim within 7 days for damage or 21 days for late delivery. Today that claim also sits in the liquidation.
Montenegro Airlines contacts
- Head office
- Podgorica, Montenegro (company in liquidation)
- Complaints
- No active customer service: claims go into the liquidation proceedings
- Flights today
- None: the airline has not flown since 26 December 2020
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