# Cathay Pacific compensation: £220–£520 from the UK

Source: https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/cathay-pacific/

> Cathay Pacific is on the CAA''s CEDR list (15 Sep 2026): it must pay within 20 working days of an accepted claim. Arrivals from Hong Kong aren''t covered.

# Cathay Pacific delay and cancellation compensation

20 working days is what Cathay Pacific must take to pay a CEDR ruling on a refused UK claim, a binding scheme most airlines outside Europe never join. The claim runs £220, £350 or £520 a passenger for a departure delayed three hours or more, unless Cathay Pacific proves extraordinary circumstances. Land in London from Hong Kong instead, and neither regulation reaches the flight.

**Key facts: Cathay Pacific**

| Fact | Detail |
|:--|:--|
| Operating company and licence | CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED, third-country operator (EASA TCO HKG-0003); absent from the CAA's UK Type A list |
| Cathay Pacific compensation | £220–£520 under UK261; €250–€600 under EU261 |
| Where a claim exists | Departures from UK airports (UK261) and from EU, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swiss airports (EU261) |
| Where none exists | Hong Kong, or any airport outside the UK and EU, on a booking of its own |
| London Heathrow to Bangkok, via Hong Kong | 9,577 km to the final stop on our own great-circle calculation, not the 9,631 km to Hong Kong itself |
| UK escalation | CEDR, the only ADR scheme that lists Cathay Pacific |
| EU escalation | The enforcement body of the country you departed from; Germany's own limitation period is 3 years |
| Calculator | [Cathay Pacific preset](https://airtravelrights.com/compensation-calculator/?carrier=cathay-pacific) |

Source: UK261 arts. 3 and 7, Limitation Act 1980 s.9 – legislation.gov.uk; EU261 arts. 3 and 7 – eur-lex.europa.eu; EASA third-country operators list (14 September 2026) – easa.europa.eu; CAA licence holders and ADR pages – caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

## Why do UK261 and EU261 cover Cathay Pacific only on flights departing the UK or EU?

HKG-0003 is the authorisation Cathay Pacific holds on EASA's third-country operators list, not a licence issued by the UK or an EU state. Arrival cover belongs only to a UK or Community carrier, so a Hong Kong-bound flight landing in London earns nothing, however long the delay.

Source: EU261 art. 3(1) – eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 arts. 2(c), 2(m) and 3(1) – legislation.gov.uk; EASA third-country operators list – easa.europa.eu; CAA airline licence holders – caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

Article 3(1)(a) reaches "any carrier" leaving a UK or Member State airport, no licence test attached, so Cathay Pacific owes exactly what British Airways would on the same departure; article 3(1)(b) runs the other way and needs a UK or Community licence for an arrival.

**Which rules apply to your Cathay Pacific flight**

| Your Cathay Pacific flight | Rules | Currency |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Departs a UK airport | UK261 | £ |
| Departs an EU, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swiss airport | EU261 | € |
| Arrives in the UK or EU from outside both, including from Hong Kong | Neither | None |
| Starts and ends outside the UK and EU, booked on its own | Neither | None |

Operating entity: CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED, third-country operator HKG-0003 on the [EASA list](https://www.easa.europa.eu/download/tco-lists/TCO%20Status%20Report.pdf), absent from the [CAA's UK Type A list](https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/airlines/licensing/licence-types/airline-licence-holders/).

### UK261 on a Cathay Pacific flight from a UK airport

London [Heathrow](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/heathrow/) to Hong Kong, continuing on the same booking, departs the UK, so article 3(1A) reads a ticket sold as one unit from its first airport and carries UK261 through the whole journey. Gahan v Emirates [2017] EWCA Civ 1530 held that on a single UK-departure booking on a non-EU carrier, compensation is measured at the final destination: on a Heathrow-Hong Kong-Bangkok booking the clock reads at Bangkok, not the Hong Kong stopover. The decision binds courts in England and Wales.

### EU261 on a Cathay Pacific flight from an EU airport

The same rule runs from an EU, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swiss departure. Folkerts (C-11/11, 2013) reads the connection's final stop as what decides the euro band, wherever the layover happened; Hong Kong to London, booked on its own, departs a country outside both regimes, so no claim arises.

## How much does Cathay Pacific owe for a 3-hour delay from a UK or EU airport?

9,577 km separates London Heathrow from Bangkok on our own great-circle calculation, measured to the final stop under Folkerts rather than the 9,631 km to Hong Kong itself — both figures clear the 3,500 km line, so a delay of four hours or more is worth £520 a passenger, unless Cathay Pacific proves extraordinary circumstances.

| Distance to your final destination | UK departure | EU departure |
|:--|:--|:--|
| 1,500 km or less | £220 | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | £350 | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km, arriving 4 hours or more late | £520 | €600 |
| Over 3,500 km, arriving 3 to under 4 hours late | £260 on the CAA's table | €300, at Cathay Pacific's option |

Source: UK261 arts. 2(n), 6(3), 7(1)-(2) and 7(4) – legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Delays – caa.co.uk; EU261 art. 7(1)-(2) – eur-lex.europa.eu; Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07, 2009), para 63 – eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

Article 7(2)(c) lets Cathay Pacific halve the top-band figure to £260 when a delayed arrival stays under four hours; applied to delays under Sturgeon para 63, that reduction is the airline's option, not a passenger's ceiling, and it disappears at exactly four hours. None of this reaches a flight landing in London or an EU airport from Hong Kong: the table only opens on the departure side.

Check your own band in the [compensation calculator](https://airtravelrights.com/compensation-calculator/?carrier=cathay-pacific), then the [UK261 delay compensation guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/flight-delay-compensation/).

## How do you claim compensation from Cathay Pacific directly?

8 weeks from the date on your letter, not from the flight, is when CEDR opens a Cathay Pacific file - an ADR route whose decision binds the airline once you accept it, and rare for a carrier based outside Europe. Date what you send, and keep the copy.

Source: UK261 arts. 6(1), 7(3), 8(1) – legislation.gov.uk; EU261 arts. 6(1), 7(3), 8(1) – eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

It goes through Cathay Pacific's own claim channel or by letter: flight number and date, the delay or the notice given before a cancellation, the distance band, and the departure airport first, because that airport alone places the flight inside or outside either Regulation. Attach the booking confirmation, boarding passes and disruption message, and give the delay at your final stop, not at the Hong Kong connection.

A refund is a separate right: article 8(1) hands back the ticket price within seven days once you decline re-routing after a cancellation, and a five-hour delay opens the same door, for the covered leg alone.

## Where do you escalate a refused Cathay Pacific claim from a UK flight?

8 weeks of silence on a written claim opens CEDR for a UK-departing Cathay Pacific complaint, and a refusal opens it at once, with 12 months from that answer to file. The CAA's member list names Cathay Pacific alongside British Airways and Scandinavian Airlines SAS, rare outside Europe.

Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution and How the CAA can help – caa.co.uk; CEDR, Aviation overview – cedr-assist.com, checked 2026-09-15.

Filing costs nothing, most cases close within three months, and a decision you accept binds Cathay Pacific, which then pays within 20 working days. That is the gap between this card and an [Air Arabia](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/air-arabia/), Singapore Airlines or [Royal Air Maroc](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/royal-air-maroc/) booking, where the CAA can only pass a complaint on through its non-binding Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT). From an EU departure, escalate to the enforcement body of the country you left instead.

### If Cathay Pacific rejects your claim

Put the question to Cathay Pacific directly: which cause, and what did it do about it? Then test the answer against article 2(o) — [the rejection decoder](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/extraordinary-circumstances/) works through the reasons that qualify. A cause that clears it cancels the fixed sum alone, never the meals, hotel, re-routing or refund.

An MSE forum thread from February 2025 (passenger report, userID 3217434) writes: "We flew from London Heathrow to Bangkok July 2024. Air traffic control issues meant flight took off 2 hours late, but we only landed in Hong Kong 45 minutes late." Cathay Pacific then cancelled the connecting Bangkok leg six hours before the passenger reached Hong Kong and rebooked them five hours later — one thread, not a ruling.

Name the operating company, CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED, in anything that reaches CEDR or a court.

Compare the [ADR scheme guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-schemes/), the [ADR membership map](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-map/) and the [refused compensation guide](https://airtravelrights.com/airline-refused-compensation/).

## How long do you have to claim against Cathay Pacific?

England, Wales and Northern Ireland give 6 years to sue Cathay Pacific under UK261 — the Limitation Act 1980 in one, its Northern Irish equivalent in the other. Scotland's 1973 Act instead prescribes at 5 years, a boundary no Scottish court has yet tested against UK261.

Source: UK261 art. 3(9); Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 – legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

Regulation 261/2004 fixes no EU-wide deadline: each Member State supplies its own, counted from the country the covered leg left. Leave from Frankfurt on Cathay Pacific and Germany's three-year period governs instead, under sections 195 and 199 of the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch — shorter than the UK's six years, and running from the end of the year the claim arose rather than the flight date.

Compare Cathay Pacific with [Singapore Airlines](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/singapore-airlines/), [Air India](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/air-india/), [British Airways](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/british-airways/) and [Qatar Airways](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/qatar-airways/). Flying through Canada instead, on a damaged bag, or on a US-only itinerary? The [Air Passenger Protection Regulations](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/), the [Montreal Convention](https://airtravelrights.com/montreal-convention/) and [US DOT rules](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/) apply there instead — sort a mixed booking with [which law covers my flight](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/).

General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA, your national European Consumer Centre or a solicitor.

## Sources

- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, arts. 2-9 – [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/contents), checked 2026-09-15.
- The Aviation (Consumers) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/1370) – [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1370/made), checked 2026-09-15.
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3, 5, 7, 8 and 16 – [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261), checked 2026-09-15.
- Limitation Act 1980 s.9 – [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58/section/9); Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 art. 4 – [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1989/1339/article/4); Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 – [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/52/section/6), checked 2026-09-15.
- EASA, Authorised Third Country Operators (updated 14 Sep 2026) – [easa.europa.eu](https://www.easa.europa.eu/download/tco-lists/TCO%20Status%20Report.pdf), checked 2026-09-15.
- Civil Aviation Authority, Airline licence holders, Delays and Alternative Dispute Resolution – [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/alternative-dispute-resolution/), checked 2026-09-15.
- CEDR, Aviation overview – [cedr-assist.com](https://www.cedr-assist.com/consumer/aviation/overview/), checked 2026-09-15.
- Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch §195 and §199(1) – [gesetze-im-internet.de](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__195.html), checked 2026-09-18.
- Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, Fluggastrechte – [lba.de](https://www.lba.de/DE/Fluggastrechte/Fluggastrechte.html), checked 2026-09-18.
- European Commission, National Enforcement Bodies – Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (updated 27 Aug 2026) – [transport.ec.europa.eu](https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/d7b5dd33-4083-4faa-8132-b6dc8b3a1c07_en), checked 2026-09-15.
- Sturgeon, joined cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 (2009), CJEU – [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62007CJ0402).
- Folkerts, C-11/11 (2013), CJEU – [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62011CJ0011).
- Gahan v Emirates [2017] EWCA Civ 1530, Court of Appeal (Civil Division) – [caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2017/1530).
- MSE forum, "Second leg of long haul cancelled and rebooked by airline" (24 Feb 2025) – [forums.moneysavingexpert.com](https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6590170/second-leg-of-long-haul-cancelled-and-rebooked-by-airline-5-hour-delay-can-we-get-compensation).