SkyUp Airlines compensation: who can claim
SkyUp Airlines is a Ukrainian airline based in Kyiv that started out flying holidaymakers to sun destinations such as Sharm el-Sheikh, alongside scheduled routes to cities like Naples. Since Ukraine closed its airspace in 2022 it has not flown from Ukrainian airports and now works mainly abroad. We have handled more than 60 SkyUp claims, and depending on the route and the operator you may be owed €250, €400 or €600 per person.
Everything hinges on which SkyUp company operated your flight. SkyUp Airlines is a non-EU carrier, so Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only binds it on flights departing an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. Its sister company SkyUp MT holds a Maltese licence, which makes it a European carrier: it is also liable for flights arriving in the EU from outside.
Delay
You landed 3 hours or more behind schedule on a flight covered by the Regulation.
3 hours or longerCancellation
Your holiday flight was scrapped less than 14 days out, with no replacement at similar times.
Under 14 daysBumped
Too few seats, often after a switch to a smaller aircraft, and you were left behind.
Owed at onceNot covered
Return legs into the EU flown by the Ukrainian SkyUp, or genuinely extraordinary events such as a sudden airspace closure.
Outside scope or extraordinaryNo idea whether you flew SkyUp Airlines or SkyUp MT? You don't need to know: enter your flight and we'll work it out.
What SkyUp pays on its most-claimed routes
Most SkyUp flights our customers write about are medium-haul holiday routes, so €400 is the figure we see most. The package price makes no difference; distance does.
| Route | Coverage | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Riga–Sharm el-Sheikh | EU departure: always covered | €400 |
| Vilnius–Sharm el-Sheikh | EU departure: always covered | €400 |
| Sharm el-Sheikh–Riga | Only if operated by SkyUp MT | €400 |
| Naples–Kyiv | EU departure: always covered | €400 |
| Heraklion–Rzeszów | Within the EU: covered | €400 |
| Naples–Lviv | EU departure: always covered | €250 |
Each traveller gets the full amount, including children with their own seat. Two parents and two kids on a Vilnius–Sharm el-Sheikh flight that landed 4 hours late could claim €1,600 in total.
Delayed SkyUp flight: what to do
Three in four SkyUp claims we receive are about delays, mostly on holiday flights to and from the Red Sea. The clock stops when the aircraft door opens at your destination. A few practical steps:
- Note the flight code: PQ means SkyUp Airlines, U5 means the Maltese SkyUp MT.
- Keep your tour operator voucher and boarding pass together.
- Photograph the arrivals board showing the actual landing time.
- Ask the holiday rep what caused the delay and save any messages.
- Keep receipts for food and drinks bought while waiting.
Care at the airport
On flights covered by the Regulation, SkyUp must provide meals and drinks and, if departure slips to the next day, a hotel and transfers.
| Distance | Care due after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500–3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| 5 hours or more | You may give up the flight and ask for a refund |
Connections and return flights
On a single booking starting in the EU, the final destination is what counts. Bear in mind that the outbound and return of a charter are two separate flights: the leg back from Egypt is assessed on its own, depending on the operator. More on our page about SkyUp delay compensation.
Cancelled SkyUp flight: your rights
About 2 in 10 SkyUp claims concern a cancellation, sometimes announced by the tour operator rather than the airline. The rules are the same either way.
Always available: your ticket money back or another flight. With a package holiday, contact the tour operator too.
An extra €250 to €600 if notice came less than 14 days before and the flight was covered.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | Not due |
| 7–13 days | Due, unless the alternative leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives within 4 hours of the original time |
| Under 7 days | Due, unless the alternative leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives within 2 hours of the original time |
Charters moved by hours. A holiday flight brought forward or pushed back significantly shortly before departure can count as a cancellation. See our page on SkyUp cancellation compensation.
SkyUp overbooking
It is rare, a handful of cases in a hundred among our files, but on charters it happens, especially when the planned aircraft is swapped for a smaller one. With a confirmed seat and on-time check-in, compensation is due immediately. Details in our guide to SkyUp overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes and SkyUp
If SkyUp's own pilots or cabin crew took industrial action, the EU Court of Justice says this is not an extraordinary circumstance (case C-28/20). A walkout by Egyptian, Baltic or Italian air traffic controllers, on the other hand, rules out compensation, though not your right to care.
SkyUp turned you down? Typical replies
SkyUp can take a long time to answer. When the reply is negative, it usually relies on one of these arguments.
With a small fleet, one grounded aircraft causes knock-on delays, but faults are part of the carrier's own risk.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07True for returns into the EU flown by SkyUp Airlines; wrong for SkyUp MT flights and for every departure from the EU.
It comes down to who was striking: airline staff are no excuse, air traffic controllers are.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20The closure of Ukrainian airspace in February 2022 was an extraordinary event: for flights cancelled then, you keep the refund and care but usually not compensation.
SkyUp Airlines vs SkyUp MT: why the operator matters
Since 2023 the group has also flown as SkyUp MT, a Maltese-certificated airline that leases aircraft with crew to other carriers and has had bases at Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, with flights to cities such as Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn. The U5 code on your boarding pass points to SkyUp MT. In practice:
- departures from an EU airport: covered with either company
- returns from Egypt, Moldova or Ukraine into the EU: covered only with SkyUp MT
- flights between two non-EU countries: never covered
Is SkyUp still flying?
Yes, but differently. Since 2022 SkyUp cannot operate from Ukraine; in 2025 it restarted scheduled flights from Chișinău, Moldova, to a number of European cities, and it continues to lease out aircraft with crew. Naples–Kyiv and Naples–Lviv are no longer flown, but we still take on claims for past flights. Watch out with Chișinău: departures from Moldova on SkyUp Airlines are not covered, while flights from the EU back to Chișinău are.
How to claim from SkyUp
You can contact SkyUp through the customer support channels on its official website, skyup.aero. If you travelled on a package, keep your tour operator's details as well.
You have to establish which company flew you, write to SkyUp, wait for a reply and, if refused, go to the national enforcement body of the departure country (the CAA for UK departures) or to court.
A few minutes online. We trace the operator, send the claim and formal demand and, if needed, sue with our own lawyers. You only pay on success: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours even if the case is lost.
SkyUp has already rejected you
Forward us the reply: if it relies on the wrong coverage rules or a technical fault, we restart with a formal demand.
Useful documents
- Boarding pass or package voucherShowing flight number and date.
- Passenger IDFor everyone, children included.
- Proof of disruptionTour operator messages, photos of the board, receipts.
Time limits for a SkyUp claim
The Regulation has no deadline of its own: national limits of the country where you claim apply (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). Even a pre-war Naples–Kyiv flight may still be in time: check with your flight date.
How long payment takes with SkyUp
If SkyUp accepts, payment usually comes within a few weeks. If a formal demand or court case is needed, allow a few months. Once we are paid, we transfer your share: €278 out of €400 and €173.75 out of €250.
SkyUp baggage problems
Suitcase lost or damaged on the way back from the Red Sea? The Montreal Convention applies: file a PIR at the baggage desk before leaving and claim within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for delay.
SkyUp contact details
- Head office
- SkyUp Airlines, Kyiv, Ukraine
- European company
- SkyUp MT, Malta
- Claims and flight status
- Support on the official website
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