Nesma Airlines compensation: when you can claim on flights to Egypt
Nesma Airlines is an Egyptian airline based in Cairo, linking Europe with the Red Sea resorts and the Nile valley. We have already handled more than 350 Nesma claims, mostly on Catania–Sharm el-Sheikh, Naples–Sharm el-Sheikh and Milan Malpensa–Cairo, and on flights from Madrid and Barcelona to Luxor and Aswan. If your flight left Europe and reached Egypt 3 hours or more late, or was cancelled at short notice, you could be owed €400 or €600 per passenger.
Nesma is not a European airline, though. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 only makes it pay on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Madrid–Luxor is covered; the Luxor–Madrid return operated by Nesma is not.
Delayed flight
Your Nesma flight from an EU airport lands in Egypt at least 3 hours behind schedule.
3+ hours on arrivalCancelled flight
Nesma or your tour operator told you less than 14 days before departure, with no replacement at similar times.
Under 14 days' noticeDenied boarding
You were left behind against your will despite a confirmed booking and valid travel documents.
Payable straight awayNo compensation
Return flights from Egypt or other non-EU countries, and disruption caused by genuinely extraordinary events that Nesma can prove.
Non-EU departure or extraordinary eventNot sure where your flight stands? Enter the airports and date and we will tell you in two minutes. Check your Nesma flight.
How much Nesma Airlines pays: €400 or €600 on flights from Europe
The amount does not depend on what you paid for your holiday or ticket, only on the distance from your departure airport to your final destination. Egypt is more than 1,500 km from almost every airport in Western Europe, so Nesma claims are usually worth €400 or €600.
| Distance | Example Nesma routes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Rare: hardly any Western European airport is that close to Egypt | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Catania–Sharm el-Sheikh, Naples–Sharm el-Sheikh, Milan Malpensa–Cairo, Barcelona–Luxor | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Madrid–Luxor, Madrid–Aswan | €600 |
Each passenger has their own claim. Two parents and two children on a Madrid–Luxor flight that arrived 5 hours late could claim €2,400 from Nesma, because children with their own seat are entitled to the same as adults.
Nesma flight delayed: what to do to claim
Delays are by far the main issue: they account for 88 in 100 of the Nesma claims we handle. What matters is when the door opens in Sharm el-Sheikh, Cairo or Luxor, not when you took off, so a departure delay just under 3 hours can still end up over the limit on arrival. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass and your holiday voucher if you booked through a tour operator.
- Save every message from Nesma or your travel company about delays and new times.
- Write down the actual arrival time and take a photo of the arrivals screen at the Egyptian airport.
- Ask ground staff for food and drink and keep receipts for anything you pay for yourself.
- Don't sign anything waiving your rights or swap your compensation for a future travel voucher.
Care at the airport on Nesma flights
On flights leaving Europe, Nesma must provide meals and drinks while you wait, even if the cause is extraordinary, plus a hotel and transfers if departure moves to the next day.
| Flight distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (e.g. Naples–Sharm el-Sheikh) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km (e.g. Madrid–Aswan) | 4 hours |
| Delay of more than 5 hours | You can give up the flight and get your money back |
Connections via Cairo
If you booked a single journey, for example Milan Malpensa–Cairo with an onward Nesma flight, and reached your final destination 3 hours or more late, compensation is based on the total distance. With separate tickets, the second flight departs from Egypt and is not covered. Find out more on our page about Nesma Airlines delayed flight compensation.
Nesma flight cancelled: refund and compensation
Around 11 in 100 of the Nesma claims we receive involve a cancellation. When the flight is part of a package, it is often the tour operator that breaks the news and offers a new date, but you may still be owed compensation by Nesma.
For any cancelled flight departing from Europe, you choose between getting your money back and flying later.
Added on top if you were told less than 14 days before and the flight offered falls outside the Regulation's time limits.
| Notice received | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, but you are entitled to a refund or another flight |
| Between 13 and 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives within 4 hours of the original time |
| Less than 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives within 2 hours of the original time |
Moved flight times. Charter flight times are sometimes moved by several hours just days before departure. For the EU Court of Justice a major change can count as a cancellation. Already refunded? See whether compensation is due as well. More on our page about Nesma Airlines cancelled flight compensation.
Nesma overbooking: if you are left behind
Denied boarding hardly ever comes up in the Nesma claims we handle, but if it happens on a flight leaving the EU, compensation is due on the spot, together with a replacement flight or a refund. It is not due if the reason lies with you, such as a passport without enough validity for Egypt or reaching the gate after it closed. Read our guide to Nesma Airlines overbooking and denied boarding.
Nesma Airlines strikes: when compensation is due
If your Nesma flight from Europe is cancelled or delayed because the airline's pilots or cabin crew go on strike, compensation is normally payable: the EU Court of Justice treats this as part of the airline's ordinary operations (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff is outside Nesma's control, so no compensation, although care and the choice of refund or new flight still apply.
Nesma rejected your claim? The usual explanations
Nesma's rejections tend to rely on a handful of reasons. This is how European judges assess them.
Faults found during routine maintenance are part of running an airline and do not normally excuse it. The exception is a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the manufacturer or the authorities.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A strike by Nesma staff does not cancel your right to compensation; one by controllers or airport workers does.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20The same aircraft may fly several round trips to Egypt in a day. A delay built up that way is not extraordinary in itself: Nesma has to prove what caused it.
These only rule out compensation if they actually hit your flight at the scheduled time. We check the weather and slot data before accepting it.
Outbound covered, return not: Nesma flights to and from Egypt
As an Egyptian airline, Nesma is only bound by Regulation 261/2004 on flights leaving Europe.
- Covered: Nesma flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Catania, Naples, Milan Malpensa and other EU airports to Egypt
- Covered: flights departing from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland
- Not covered: return flights from Sharm el-Sheikh, Cairo, Hurghada, Luxor or Aswan to Europe
- Not covered: domestic flights in Egypt and flights between Egypt and the Gulf states
Flying from the UK? Flights departing from UK airports fall under the UK's own version of the rules, with amounts in pounds. Return flights from Egypt to the UK are not covered.
Nesma flights in a package holiday: who owes you compensation
Nesma flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, Luxor and Aswan are often sold by tour operators as part of a package. The Regulation also covers charter flights and package passengers: compensation for delay, cancellation or denied boarding is owed by the airline that operated the flight, which is Nesma, not by the travel agent. In our form you just enter the flight and we contact the right airline.
How to claim from Nesma Airlines: on your own or with us
You can write to Nesma yourself, free of charge, using the "Contact" page in the help section of nesmaairlines.com. Include the flight number and date, booking reference and the names of all passengers.
Free, but you handle the correspondence with an airline based in Cairo. If it refuses or does not reply, you need to go to the national enforcement body of the country your flight departed from (the CAA for UK departures) or to court, at your own time and cost.
Fill in the form in a few minutes and sign online. We handle the claim, the letter before action and court proceedings with our own lawyers. Our fee, only if you are paid, is 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Nesma has already rejected you
Written to Nesma and received a refusal, or no reply at all? Pass the claim to us: if the explanation does not stand up, we start with a formal letter before action.
Documents you will need
- Boarding pass or flight confirmationYour tour operator's travel documents showing the flight number and time are fine too.
- Passport or IDFor every passenger, including children.
- Delay or cancellation noticesMessages from Nesma or your travel company, plus receipts for expenses.
Time limit for a Nesma claim
The Regulation sets no deadline of its own: the limitation period comes from the national law of the country where you claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11. So a trip to Sharm el-Sheikh a few years ago may still qualify. Enter the date and we will check.
How long Nesma compensation takes
Once you sign, we deal with Nesma for you. If the airline accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If a letter before action or court case is needed, allow a few months more. We update you by email and pay your share by bank transfer as soon as Nesma pays.
Lost or damaged luggage on Nesma
Bags are covered by the Montreal Convention, including on return flights from Egypt. If your case is missing or damaged, fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk before leaving the airport, then write to Nesma within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.
Nesma Airlines contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Nesma Airlines, Cairo, Egypt
- Base
- Cairo International Airport
- Complaints
- "Contact" page in the help section of nesmaairlines.com
- Flight status
- "Status" section of the official website
Ryanair
Wizz Air
Vueling