# Saudia delay compensation: £220–£520 from UK airports

Source: https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/saudia/

> Saudia is not on the CAA''s ADR lists (checked 15 Sep 2026): a refused UK claim goes to CAA PACT at once, silence after 8 weeks. Inbound flights are not covered.

# Saudia delay and cancellation compensation

£220, £350 or £520 per passenger under UK261, or €250, €400 or €600 under EU261, is what Saudia owes when a flight departing the UK or the EU reaches your final destination three hours or more late, unless extraordinary circumstances caused it. SAU-0005 is Saudia's number on EASA's third-country operators list, so a flight into the UK or the EU is not covered by either regulation, only a departure from one.

**Key facts: Saudia**

| Fact | Detail |
|:--|:--|
| Operating company | SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES CORPORATION, third-country operator (EASA SAU-0005), not on the CAA's UK Type A licence list |
| Covered flights | Departures from a UK airport (UK261) or an EU airport (EU261) |
| Not covered | Saudia flights into the UK or the EU, from Jeddah, Riyadh or anywhere else |
| Compensation | £220 / £350 / £520 (UK261); €250 / €400 / €600 (EU261) |
| UK escalation | Not among the airlines on the CAA's ADR lists (checked 15 Sep 2026): CAA PACT, non-binding |
| EU escalation | Enforcement body of the departure country |
| Claim window | 6 years England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 5 years Scotland (open point) |
| Calculator | [Saudia preset](https://airtravelrights.com/compensation-calculator/?carrier=saudia) |

Source: UK261 arts. 3 and 7 - legislation.gov.uk; EU261 arts. 3 and 7 - eur-lex.europa.eu; EASA third-country operators list - easa.europa.eu; CAA pages - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

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

SAU-0005 is Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation's number on EASA's third-country operator list of 14 September 2026, and the CAA's UK Type A register does not name the carrier. Inbound cover needs a Community carrier under EU261, or a Community or UK carrier under UK261, so Saudia answers for departures only.

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.

**Which rules apply to your Saudia flight**

| Your Saudia flight | Rules | Currency |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Departs a UK airport | UK261 | £ |
| Departs an EU airport, including to the UK | EU261 | € |
| Flies into the UK or the EU from Jeddah, Riyadh or any other country outside both | Neither UK261 nor EU261 | None |
| Flight starting outside the UK and EU, booked on its own | Neither UK261 nor EU261 | None |

A TripAdvisor Air Travel thread read 14 September 2026, posted about two years earlier, carries a passenger report from roksmb: "I travelled on Saudia airline mid December, LHR-RUH-DAC return, almost everything went well on the way out." The outbound London to Dhaka legs left a UK airport and were covered. A return bought on its own from Riyadh is not. Whether a return leg sold inside the same booking counts is not settled by the rules this page relies on.

Check the first departure airport on your booking before you write.

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

£220, £350 or £520 per passenger under UK261, or €250, €400 or €600 under [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/transatlantic-flight-compensation/), is what Saudia owes when a flight departing the UK or the EU reaches your final destination three hours or more late, barring extraordinary circumstances. Great-circle distance sets the band.

| Distance | UK261, UK departures | EU261, EU departures |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Up to 1,500 km | £220 | €250 |
| 1,500–3,500 km | £350 | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | £520; £260 at 3 to under 4 hours late (CAA) | €600 (intra-EU: €400); €300 at 3 to under 4 hours late (carrier's option) |

Source: UK261 art. 2(n), art. 6(3), art. 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.

A Heathrow to Riyadh flight, over 3,500 km, delayed 5 hours pays £520 in full; delayed 3 hours 40 minutes, Saudia may cut that to £260 under article 7(2)(c), since the law says "may", not "must".

### UK261 on a Saudia flight from a UK airport

Article 6(3), in force since 14 December 2023, draws the three-hour line at your final destination, timed from when passengers are permitted to leave the aircraft. Gahan v Emirates [2017] EWCA Civ 1530, binding in England and Wales, measured a single [Manchester](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/manchester/) booking that connected outside Europe at the final destination, not the connection; article 3(1A) now treats a single booking as departing from its first airport, so a Heathrow-Jeddah-Delhi itinerary is measured at Delhi.

### EU261 on a Saudia flight from an EU airport

Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07, 2009) gives passengers reaching their final destination three hours or more late a claim to article 7 compensation, subject to extraordinary circumstances. Folkerts (C-11/11, 2013) counts that delay at the final destination of a connecting flight, so a late first leg from an EU airport that costs you a Jeddah connection is measured by your arrival at the last airport.

Log the arrival to the minute, then price the band with the [compensation calculator](https://airtravelrights.com/compensation-calculator/?carrier=saudia). The [UK261 hub](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/) and the [UK261 delay compensation guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/flight-delay-compensation/) carry the rest.

## How do you claim compensation from Saudia directly?

Saudia's complaint form is where a UK261 or EU261 claim goes in, with the general contact form beside it, both open on saudia.com on 17 September 2026. State the figure yourself: "UK261, article 7(1)(c), £520 per passenger", with the flight number, date and arrival delay.

Source: UK261 arts. 8(1) and 9 - legislation.gov.uk; EU261 arts. 8(1) and 9 - eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

Attach the booking confirmation and boarding passes. Name the operating company too, SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES CORPORATION rather than the marketing name: that is the carrier EASA lists as SAU-0005, and the one that owes you the money. Say in the first line which airport you left, because that decides the currency, the enforcement body and how many years you have to sue. A cancellation compensation claim and a delayed-baggage claim under the Montreal Convention are separate requests.

A refund is a separate right, due within 7 days if you choose it instead of a replacement flight.

### Saudia claim and complaint pages

| Purpose | Saudia page (opened 17 Sep 2026) |
|:--|:--|
| Complaint form | [Complaint](https://www.saudia.com/forms/complaint-form) |
| General contact | [Contact Form and Customer Inquiry](https://www.saudia.com/en-US/forms/contact-form) |

Set an 8-week reminder the day you send it; silence that long moves the complaint to the CAA, covered just below.

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

8 weeks without a reply, or a refusal you dispute, opens the CAA's complaints route: Saudia is not among the airlines on the CAA's ADR lists checked 15 September 2026. A refused Saudia claim on a UK departure goes instead to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), which cannot make a binding decision.

Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution and How the CAA can help - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

### If Saudia rejects your claim

Ask Saudia in writing to name the cause and the reasonable measures it took. Article 2(o) holds the only excuse UK261 allows, and [the causes that clear it](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/extraordinary-circumstances/) are taken limb by limb there. The burden sits on the carrier, not on you, and a weather label on its own settles nothing. Whatever the answer, care under articles 8 and 9 survives it on a covered flight.

If PACT thinks the complaint is valid, it will "take it up with the business concerned", but it cannot "impose a solution on an airline". On a Saudia flight from an EU airport, complain instead to the enforcement body of the departure country on the European Commission's list, updated 27 August 2026.

Who covers whom is set out in the [ADR scheme guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-schemes/) and the [ADR map](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-map/); [refused compensation](https://airtravelrights.com/airline-refused-compensation/) covers the reply.

## How long do you have to claim against Saudia?

6 years is the window for a UK261 claim against Saudia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: article 3(9) of the Regulation sends the claim to section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980, and the Northern Irish order sets the same period. Scotland's Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 sets 5 years, still untested here.

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.

Which of the two a Scottish court would apply has never been decided, so treat 5 years as the deadline if Scotland might be the forum. PACT turns away complaints with under a year left to sue.

Saudia can only owe you on a departure, so the clock that matters is the departure country's. EU261 fixes none of its own, and the national spread is wide enough to lose a claim in.

| You departed | Period to sue | Provision |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Poland | 1 year | Kodeks cywilny art. 778 |
| Netherlands | 2 years | Burgerlijk Wetboek art. 8:1835 |
| Germany | 3 years | BGB §195, from the end of the year |
| Spain | 5 years | Código Civil art. 1964.2 |
| France | 5 years | Code civil art. 2224 |
| Italy | unsettled, 6 months to 10 years | Codice della Navigazione art. 418; Codice Civile arts. 2951 and 2946 |

Source: national limitation statutes - boe.es, gesetze-im-internet.de, normattiva.it; DGAC - aviation-civile.gouv.fr; Rzecznik Praw Pasażerów - ulc.gov.pl, checked 2026-09-18.

Poland's single year is the one that bites: article 778 runs it from the day the flight was performed, and the Passenger Rights Ombudsman refuses a request once that year is up.

Diarise the shortest period that could reach your departure; the [small claims court guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/small-claims-court/) covers a UK261 court claim.

Similar airlines, also third-country operators: [Gulf Air](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/gulf-air/), [Emirates](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/emirates/), [EgyptAir](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/egyptair/) and [Kenya Airways](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/kenya-airways/).

Not your situation? Canadian routes fall under the [Air Passenger Protection Regulations](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/); any airline from an EU airport: [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/); unsure which law fits: [work it out here](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/). Flying in the US? US federal rules differ: see [US DOT rules](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/).

General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA, the European Consumer Centre in your country 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, 7, 8, 9 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.
- CAA, Airline licence holders, Delays and Alternative Dispute Resolution pages - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/alternative-dispute-resolution/), checked 2026-09-15.
- CAA, How the CAA can help - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/how-the-caa-can-help/), checked 2026-09-15.
- 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).
- 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.
- Saudia, own pages (opened 17 Sep 2026): [Complaint](https://www.saudia.com/forms/complaint-form), [Contact Form and Customer Inquiry](https://www.saudia.com/en-US/forms/contact-form).
- Spain: Código Civil art. 1964.2 - [boe.es](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1889-4763); Germany: BGB §195 - [gesetze-im-internet.de](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__195.html), checked 2026-09-18.
- Italy: Codice della Navigazione art. 418 - [normattiva.it](https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:regio.decreto:1942-03-30;327~art418); Codice Civile art. 2951 - [normattiva.it](https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:codice.civile:1942-03-16;262~art2951), checked 2026-09-18.
- France: Code civil art. 2224, confirmed by the DGAC - [droits-passagers-aeriens.aviation-civile.gouv.fr](https://droits-passagers-aeriens.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/public/je-m-informe); Netherlands: Burgerlijk Wetboek art. 8:1835, wetten.overheid.nl, checked 2026-09-18.
- Poland: Kodeks cywilny art. 778, isap.sejm.gov.pl; Rzecznik Praw Pasażerów (ULC) - [pasazerlotniczy.ulc.gov.pl](https://pasazerlotniczy.ulc.gov.pl/zloz-wniosek), checked 2026-09-18.