Air India Flight Delayed or Cancelled? Compensation Guide
Updated June 2026 · EU261/UK261 rules applied to Air India's network
If a Air India flight has just cost you an afternoon — or a whole day — there is a fair chance you are owed money. European air passenger rules attach fixed compensation of €250 to €600 to long delays, cancellations and overbooking. Air India connects Delhi and Mumbai with European destinations including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan, Vienna, Copenhagen and Zurich.
Owned by the Tata Group since 2022, the airline is renewing its fleet with large Airbus and Boeing orders while remaining a Star Alliance member. Below you will find when Air India flights are covered, what each distance band pays, and an honest comparison of claiming yourself versus handing the file to a claim service.
Not sure where your Air India flight lands in these bands? The calculator does the distance math for you.
Does EU261 apply to Air India?
Because Air India is a non-European carrier, the rule of thumb is "outbound yes, inbound no": departures from EU/EEA/UK airports fall under EU261/UK261, while arrivals into Europe from India or anywhere else do not.
Watch for connections, though: if your journey started at a European airport on a single booking, the whole itinerary can be covered even when the disrupted leg was outside Europe.
Compensation amounts on Air India routes
Compensation is fixed by great-circle distance, not by what you paid for the ticket. Here is what that means on real Air India routes:
| Example route | Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi (DEL) → London (LHR) | 6,731 km | €600 / £520 |
| Mumbai (BOM) → London (LHR) | 7,213 km | €600 / £520 |
| New Delhi (DEL) → Frankfurt (FRA) | 6,120 km | €600 / £520 |
Note the long-haul nuance: over 3,500 km the payout is €600, but it drops to €300 if your arrival delay stayed between 3 and 4 hours. Intra-European flights never exceed €400.
How to claim directly with Air India (free)
The free option first. Air India, like every airline, must handle compensation claims sent straight to it:
- Gather your booking reference, boarding passes, and proof of the disruption — screenshots of the airline app, the cancellation email, or a flight-tracker page showing the actual arrival time.
- Submit the claim through Air India's customer relations contact form on its website, citing Regulation (EC) 261/2004 and stating your arrival delay and the compensation amount you are owed.
- Name every passenger on the booking — each paid seat qualifies separately, including children.
- Give the airline a clear deadline (four to six weeks is reasonable) and decline any voucher unless it is worth more to you than cash; you are entitled to a bank transfer.
- If the claim is rejected or ignored, escalate to the national enforcement body or an ADR scheme — or hand it to a no-win-no-fee service at that point, having lost nothing.
You have time: claims against Air India can generally be filed for between one and six years depending on the country whose courts hear the claim after the flight.
Should you use a claim service?
The honest math: claim services take about a quarter to a third of the payout as commission. Claiming yourself keeps 100% — and works fine when the case is clear-cut and Air India plays fair. Services earn their cut on the contested cases.
Our suggestion: try the free direct route first if your case looks clear-cut. Use a claim service if you have already been rejected, if the cause of the disruption is disputed, or if you simply don't want to deal with it.
Claim services typically keep 25–35% of your payout as commission. Claiming directly with the airline yourself is free.
Air India compensation FAQ
- How much can I claim from Air India?
- Fixed amounts by distance: €250 (under 1,500 km), €400 (1,500–3,500 km, and longer intra-European routes), €600 (over 3,500 km), with UK equivalents of £220/£350/£520. On Air India's typical routes that works out to €600 per passenger, independent of the fare you paid.
- Does EU261 apply to Air India flights?
- Partially: because Air India is based in India, only its flights departing from EU, EEA or UK airports are covered. Flights into Europe on Air India are outside EU261 — unless they are the disrupted leg of a single booking that began in Europe.
- How long do I have to claim against Air India?
- The deadline depends on the country whose courts would hear the case — often where the airline is based or where you flew from. For Air India (India) that is typically between one and six years depending on the country whose courts hear the claim. Treat these as indicative and check before filing an old claim.
- What if my Air India flight was disrupted by a strike?
- It depends whose strike. Air-traffic-control or airport staff strikes usually count as extraordinary circumstances and kill the claim. A strike by Air India's own staff does not — the EU Court of Justice ruled in 2021 (C-28/20) that airlines must pay compensation for their own crews' strikes, though many still reject these claims at first.
- Can Air India pay me in vouchers instead of cash?
- Only if you genuinely prefer it. You are entitled to compensation in money, and refunds for cancelled flights must be paid in cash within 7 days unless you agree otherwise in writing. A voucher offer does not extinguish your compensation claim either — you can take the refund and still claim the fixed amount.
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Free eligibility check · service fee 25–35% only if you win · claiming directly yourself is free