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If your Riyadh Air flight left London Heathrow, Manchester, or Madrid and arrived 3 or more hours late, you may be owed up to €600 under EU261 or £520 under UK261 in cash. The catch most passengers miss: it depends entirely on where you took off, not where you landed.
Riyadh Air is the brand-new, Public Investment Fund-owned Saudi national carrier that flew its first scheduled commercial flight on 10 June 2026. The carrier has a small network made up of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Because it’s a non-EU, non-UK airline, European and British compensation rules only apply to a handful of its routes. This page shows exactly which ones, compensation amounts, and how to get paid.
Key takeaways
- UK261 and EU261 cover Riyadh Air only on flights departing from a UK or EU airport, never the inbound legs from Riyadh.
- Right now, that means Heathrow, Manchester (both UK261), and Madrid (EU261) to Riyadh qualify; RUH to those cities does not.
- Under UK261, the £520 drops to £260 if you arrive only 3 to 4 hours late, so the exact delay matters.
- For flights leaving Saudi Arabia, Saudi GACA rules apply instead, with different amounts and a tight filing deadline.
- Compensation is separate from your refund: you can be owed both, and you never have to accept a voucher.
Does UK261 or EU261 apply to Riyadh Air?
Only on the way out of Europe. Riyadh Air is a Saudi carrier, and both rules cover a non-EU/non-UK airline only when the flight departs from a UK or EU airport.
Here’s how that applies across the live network as of mid-2026:
- London Heathrow to Riyadh and Manchester to Riyadh: covered by UK261 (up to £520).
- Madrid to Riyadh: covered by EU261 (up to €600); flights starting 17 July 2026.
- Riyadh to Heathrow, Manchester, or Madrid: not covered by UK261 or EU261. Only Saudi GACA rules apply to these inbound flights.
The legal basis is Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and its mirrored UK version, UK Reg (EU) No. 261/2004. Both were written so that the departure airport, not the airline's nationality, triggers protection. For the full background, see our EU261 compensation explainer.
How much compensation can you claim?
It depends on distance, not on your ticket price or how late you left the gate. What counts is how late you arrived at your final destination, measured from 3 hours and up.
Under EU261, the tiers are:
- €250 for flights up to 1,500 km
- €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km
- €600 for flights over 3,500 km
Under UK261, the equivalent distances are £220, £350, and £520. On a long-haul flight, the £520 drops to £260 if you arrive only 3 to 4 hours late.
Every current Riyadh Air route into Europe is long-haul, so the maximum tier applies. Here is what that looks like in practice:
| Route | Distance | What you may be owed |
| London Heathrow to Riyadh | about 4,900 km | up to £520 (UK261) |
| Manchester to Riyadh | about 5,000 km | up to £520 (UK261) |
| Madrid to Riyadh | about 5,200 km | up to €600 (EU261) |
These are paid per passenger, not per booking. A family of four on the same delayed Heathrow flight can be owed four separate payments for maximum Riyadh Air compensation of £2,080 or €2,400.
Disrupted flight? You might have a right to compensation - up to €600Check Your Flight
What if your Riyadh Air flight is delayed or cancelled?
First, look after yourself at the airport. Once a delay passes set thresholds, Riyadh Air must provide care and assistance: meals and drinks, a way to make calls, and a hotel plus transport if you’ are stuck overnight.
If you pay for any of this yourself because nobody offered it, keep every receipt. You can claim that money back later.
Once your delay hits 5 hours, you get a choice: carry on and still claim compensation if you arrive late, or abandon the trip and ask for a full refund of the unused part of your ticket. We cover this on our cancelled flight compensation page.
If Riyadh Air cancels your covered flight, it must offer either a rebooking to your destination or a full refund. Compensation is also owed when the cancellation is made less than 14 days before departure, and the airline was at fault.
One exception applies across delays and cancellations: "extraordinary circumstances" such as severe weather remove the compensation, though your right to care still stands.
Denied boarding and missed connections
If your covered Riyadh Air flight is overbooked and you are refused a seat against your will, you can claim compensation on top of care and a new flight. The amounts mirror the delay tiers above. See our page on denied boarding compensation for the full process.
Missed a connection because your first Riyadh Air leg to Europe ran late? As long as both flights are on the same booking, the delay at your final destination is what matters for a claim.
What about flights departing Saudi Arabia (RUH)?
That’s a different rulebook entirely. Flights leaving Riyadh fall under the Saudi regulator, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and its Passenger Rights Protection Regulation. Amounts are set in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), so the euro figures below are indicative.
- Delays: roughly 50 to 150 SDR depending on length (about €60 for 3 to 6 hours, about €175 beyond 6 hours). A delay of over 2 hours unlocks a full refund instead.
- Cancellations: on top of a refund, 50% of the ticket value if you were told 60 to 14 days ahead, 75% inside 14 days, and 150% with less than 24 hours' notice.
- Denied boarding: if no alternative is offered within 2 hours, you can take a refund plus 200% of the unused ticket value.
The process is strict on timing. File with Riyadh Air first and get a reference number; the airline must respond within 14 days. If that fails, escalate to GACA's Customer Protection Department. Every claim must be lodged within 60 days of the flight.
How does lost or delayed baggage work?
That’s Montreal Convention's territory, not EU261's. For any international Riyadh Air flight, the airline's liability for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage is capped at 1,519 SDR per passenger (about €1,860/£1,600).
This is separate from any delay compensation. Want more details? Read about delayed and lost baggage compensation for how to file and what to claim.
How do you claim from Riyadh Air?
The airline has no public complaints phone line or email. Support runs through its in-app and website Help centre, with live chat and a callback option for Sfeer loyalty members. To build a strong claim, gather:
- Your booking reference and flight details
- Receipts for any meals, hotel, or transport you paid for
- A photo of the departure board showing the delay
- Any written notice the airline gave about the disruption
Then submit through the Help centre with as much detail as you can. Expect a slow reply. Some claims come back rejected with vague reasons such as "operational issues."
If you want help, AirAdvisor can take the claim from filing to payout on a no-win, no-fee basis. Our lawyers can fight for you in court if Riyadh Air refuses a valid claim. If you would rather try it yourself first, here’s how to complain to Riyadh Air.
Example: Heathrow to Riyadh, £520 recovered
At a glance: delay of 6+ hours; London Heathrow to Riyadh.
Priya S. was flying from London Heathrow to Riyadh on a Tuesday evening when her Riyadh Air 787-9 had a technical issue. The flight finally left more than 6 hours late, and she landed in Riyadh deep into the next morning.
At the gate, she got little explanation and a vague mention of "operational reasons." She filed through the Help centre, then heard nothing for weeks. When a reply did land, it brushed her off.
She brought the dossier to us. We confirmed the flight was a UK departure covered by UK261, that the distance put it firmly in the long-haul band, and that a technical fault is not an extraordinary circumstance. We submitted the claim with the evidence and pushed back on the refusal.
The airline paid £520, the full long-haul amount, into her account. The whole case, from her first message to us through to the payout, took under 9 weeks.
Claim with AirAdvisor and get up to €600 compensationFind out how much you’re owed today.Check Your Flight
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if Riyadh Air says the disruption was due to extraordinary circumstances?
Ask the airline for a detailed explanation and keep all communications. Airlines may deny claims by citing extraordinary circumstances, which are flight disruption causes outside the airline’s direct control. But it’s not always true. Passengers are entitled to understand the reason for the disruption and challenge it when appropriate.
My flight from Riyadh to London was delayed. Am I owed anything?
Not under UK261, because the flight did not depart the UK. The Saudi rules apply instead.
How long do I have to claim Riyadh Air compensation?
For UK261 and EU261 flights, you have years, depending on the country. In the UK, passengers have 5 years (Scotland) and 6 years (England), for example. For anything under Saudi GACA rules, the window is much tighter – claims must be filed within 60 days of the flight.
Is a refund the same as compensation?
No. A refund returns the fare for a flight you did not take; compensation is an extra cash payment for the disruption. On a covered short-notice cancellation, you can be owed both.
Do I have to accept a voucher?
No. When you’ are entitled to a refund, you can insist on cash to your original payment method. A voucher is an offer, and you’ are free to turn it down.
Author:
Amy Lancelotte
Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Strategist
Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with over seven years of experience producing research-based articles for international audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.
