---
title: "Bahrain Flight Delay Compensation: SDR Amounts and Passenger Rights"
description: "Bahrain’s rules pay up to 100 SDR for very long delays on Gulf Air and other airlines serving Bahrain, plus care and refunds. Check the rules and limits."
url: "https://travelshifu.com/guides/bahrain-flight-delay-compensation/"
category: "Air Passenger Rights"
author: "Kaiser Khan"
date_published: "2026-10-16"
date_modified: "2026-10-16"
source: "TravelShifu"
---

# Bahrain Flight Delay Compensation: SDR Amounts and Passenger Rights

Bahrain’s rules pay up to 100 SDR for very long delays on Gulf Air and other airlines serving Bahrain, plus care and refunds. Check the rules and limits.

> Ad disclosure: TravelShifu earns a commission from some AirHelp links on this site. AirHelp does not handle claims under Bahrain’s rules, so this guide has no AirHelp claim link.

## Which flights do Bahrain’s passenger rights rules cover?

Flights into or out of Bahrain are covered when the airline is registered in Bahrain, such as Gulf Air, or has been appointed to operate flights to and from Bahrain. The rules are Articles 44 to 57 of the Executive Regulations of Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Law, in force since 10 January 2014.

Minister of Transportation Decision No. 21 of 2013, dated 25 December 2013, issued the [Executive Regulations](https://www.mtt.gov.bh/sites/default/files/2024-09/caa_law_regulations-en.pdf) of the Civil Aviation Regulation Law, Law No. 14 of 2013. They were published in Official Gazette issue 3138 on 9 January 2014 and apply from the following day. The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications publishes the [passenger rights chapter](https://www.mtt.gov.bh/sites/default/files/2024-09/passenger_rights_en.pdf) in English; the [Arabic gazette text](https://www.mtt.gov.bh/sites/default/files/caa-laa/caa-laws/passenger_rights_ar.pdf) is the original.

Article 44 applies the chapter to air transport on flights arriving in and departing from Bahrain by an operator registered there or appointed to operate flights to and from it, consistent with the international conventions Bahrain has joined. It also binds Bahrain’s airport operator and ground handlers. Article 55(6) lets charter and package passengers claim from the airline that actually operated the flight.

We could not confirm whether Chapter 3 has been amended since 2014; the ministry still publishes the 2014 text. The rules are much narrower than EU261: most rights are care, refunds and rerouting, and the fixed sums are small and tied to specific failures.

## How much compensation do Bahrain’s rules pay?

The fixed sums are small. A flight arriving more than eight hours after the arrival time the airline announced earns 10 SDR per hour, up to 100 SDR (about BHD 51). If the airline fails to set a new departure time, it owes 15 SDR per hour, also up to 100 SDR, on top of care.

Article 50(13) pays 10 SDR an hour, capped at 100 SDR, for a delay of more than eight hours beyond “the possible time of arrival that has been announced by the air operator”, and says this does not replace care. The text does not say whether that means the original schedule or a revised estimate. Article 50(5) pays 15 SDR an hour, capped at 100 SDR, where the airline “fails to determine the new take off time”.

The conversions below use the [IMF’s SDR valuation](https://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/rms_sdrv.aspx) of US$1.354 for 15 October 2026, the [Central Bank of Bahrain’s](https://www.cbb.gov.bh/monetary-policy/) fixed rate of BHD 0.376 per US dollar and the [ECB reference rates](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/euro_reference_exchange_rates/html/index.en.html) for the same day. They are approximate. Article 55(1) allows payment in dinars.

Two larger sums apply in narrow cases. A passenger rebooked in a lower class after a cancellation at the airport receives the full cost difference or 500 SDR, whichever is higher (Article 49(3)(b)). A passenger with disabilities refused carriage or required services receives 200% of the ticket price (Article 52(4)).

| Situation | Official amount | About in dinars | About in euros | About in pounds | About in dollars |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arrival over 8 hours after the announced time (Article 50(13)) | 10 SDR an hour, up to 100 SDR | BHD 5.1 an hour, up to BHD 50.9 | €12 an hour, up to €121 | £10 an hour, up to £102 | $14 an hour, up to $135 |
| No new departure time given (Article 50(5)) | 15 SDR an hour, up to 100 SDR | BHD 7.6 an hour, up to BHD 50.9 | €18 an hour, up to €121 | £15 an hour, up to £102 | $20 an hour, up to $135 |
| Cash instead of a hot meal, delay over 3 hours (Article 50(7)) | 15 SDR | BHD 7.6 | €18 | £15 | $20 |
| Cash instead of a hotel, delay over 8 hours (Article 50(7)) | 50 SDR | BHD 25.5 | €60 | £51 | $68 |
| Airport cancellation, rebooked in a lower class (Article 49(3)(b)) | Cost difference or 500 SDR, whichever is higher | At least BHD 254.6 | At least €604 | At least £511 | At least $677 |

## What do Bahrain’s rules give when a flight is cancelled?

With 14 days’ notice or more, the airline owes only a refund. With less notice, you choose an alternative flight or a refund of the whole or unused part of the ticket, and the airline pays your extra accommodation and meals if the replacement extends your stay. There is no general cash compensation for cancellations.

Article 49(2)(a) exempts the airline from care, support and compensation if it tells you of the cancellation fourteen days before travel, but still requires a refund. Article 49(2)(b) covers shorter notice. Its English translation says “fourteen days before”; the Arabic original says less than fourteen days, which is the version that applies.

If a flight is cancelled for unexpected reasons while you are at the airport and you take an alternative, Article 49(3) makes the airline pay any higher fare on another airline or a higher class, and pay you the cost difference or 500 SDR, whichever is higher, if you are rebooked in a lower class. With your agreement, Article 49(4) allows an open ticket valid for a year instead. If you cancel the contract, Article 49(5) requires a full refund.

Article 50(12) lets you treat a flight delayed, or likely to be delayed, by more than eight hours as cancelled, and Article 51 treats a booking the airline cancelled without telling you as a cancelled flight.

## What care must airlines provide during a delay in Bahrain?

Soft drinks from the first hour, a hot meal when the delay is expected to reach three hours, and a hotel when it is expected to exceed eight. You can take 15 SDR instead of the meal and 50 SDR instead of the hotel. A delay beyond eight hours also lets you treat the flight as cancelled.

Article 50(6) sets the care for passengers at the airport, counted from the original departure time. Article 50(7) lets you choose cash instead of the meal or hotel, and Article 50(9) makes the airline pay those sums if it cannot provide the care, for example because of the airport’s facilities. Article 50(11) applies the same care when a flight is diverted.

If the delay begins before you reach the airport, Article 50(10) makes the airline pay to extend your hotel stay until the new departure, up to 50 SDR, if you show proof of the cost. Article 50(4) requires the airline to tell you of a delay before the original departure time and give the new time.

Article 50(2) exempts the airline from care, support and compensation if it told you of the delay or schedule change fourteen days before travel. Article 50(3) excuses it from liability for damage caused by delay if it proves it took all reasonable measures to avoid it.

## What happens if you are bumped from an overbooked flight in Bahrain?

The airline must first offer a free upgrade if a higher-class seat is free, then ask for volunteers. If you are still refused, it must give written information, care and a seat on its own or another airline’s flight at its cost. No compensation is due if a similar flight leaves within eight hours.

Article 48 requires airlines to publish an approved overbooking policy. If you wait one to eight hours for the next flight, the airline must give you lounge access where available. A downgrade on the same flight is not denied boarding, but the airline must refund the full fare difference for the downgraded part (Article 48(7)(e)).

Article 48(8) removes compensation if you did not meet the contract, fare and check-in conditions, or if the airline provides a similar flight to your final destination within eight hours of the original departure. The regulation does not fix the denied-boarding amount itself, so ask the airline what its approved policy pays.

Article 48(9) requires payment within 60 days of your right being established, by the airline or by a decision of Civil Aviation Affairs, and adds 50 SDR for each day the payment is late.

## Can an airline in Bahrain refuse to pay because of force majeure?

Yes, if it proves it took the measures it should have, or that it could not take them. Force majeure under Article 54 covers events the airline cannot control or avoid, but expressly excludes aircraft technical defects. During force majeure the airline must still apply the cancellation and delay rules as far as possible.

Article 54 requires care and support “if possible” in force majeure, application of Articles 49 and 50 “as much as possible”, notice of alternative flights and a free telephone line for updates. Article 54(7) says force majeure “does not include aircraft technical defects”, and Article 54(9) requires the airline to report to the Air Transport Department any shortfall in services during force majeure or delays caused by technical defects.

That exclusion is stricter than many regimes and close to how EU and UK courts treat ordinary technical problems; see our [extraordinary circumstances guide](/guides/extraordinary-circumstances-eu261-explained). Ask the airline to state the cause of your disruption in writing.

## Does EU261 or UK261 cover Gulf Air flights between Bahrain and Europe?

Mainly on departures from Europe. UK261 covers London–Bahrain on Gulf Air, worth up to £520, but not Bahrain–London on Gulf Air, which is neither a UK nor an EU airline. That return flight relies on Bahrain’s much smaller sums. A UK or EU airline flying from Bahrain to Europe can fall under both.

UK261 applies to all departures from a UK airport and to UK arrivals only on UK or EU airlines, as [Article 3 of the UK regulation](https://legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/3) and the [CAA’s coverage table](https://www.caa.co.uk/media/jn3npj1h/uk-261-annex-1.pdf) show. [EU passenger rights](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm) cover all EU departures but only EU airlines flying in.

London–Bahrain is about 5,090 km, so a UK261 arrival delay of four hours or more is worth £520, against at most 100 SDR, about £102, under Bahrain’s rules. Compare the European regimes in our [UK261 vs EU261 guide](/guides/uk261-vs-eu261-whats-the-difference) and [EU261 rules guide](/guides/eu261-compensation-complete-rules).

Both European regulations exclude passengers who received benefits or compensation and assistance in the third country, so declare any Bahraini payment if you claim under UK261 or EU261.

| Example flight | Bahrain’s rules | UK261 or EU261 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| London–Bahrain on Gulf Air | Applies: Bahraini airline flying into Bahrain | UK261 applies: UK departure |
| Bahrain–London on Gulf Air | Applies: Bahraini airline flying from Bahrain | Not covered: not a UK or EU airline |
| Bahrain–London on a UK airline | Applies if the airline is appointed to serve Bahrain | UK261 can also apply, unless you received benefits in Bahrain |
| Paris–Bahrain on Gulf Air | Applies: Bahraini airline flying into Bahrain | EU261 applies: EU departure |

## How do you claim under Bahrain’s rules, and does AirHelp help?

AirHelp does not handle claims under Bahrain’s regulations; its Gulf Air page covers only EU and UK claims. For a flight only Bahrain’s rules cover, the claim goes to the airline using the complaint forms Article 57 requires, and Civil Aviation Affairs’ Air Transport Department receives passenger complaints and can impose penalties.

We checked AirHelp’s UK and international sites on 16 October 2026. Its passenger-rights address for Bahrain returns no page, and its [Gulf Air page](https://www.airhelp.co.uk/airlines/gulf-air/) relies on EU and UK rules for flights from Europe. For a flight those rules cover, AirHelp’s fee is 35% including VAT, plus 15% if legal action is needed, per its [fee page](https://www.airhelp.co.uk/our-fees/).

Article 57 requires airlines to explain how to claim and to provide complaint forms on their website, at sales offices and at airport counters. Under Article 46, the Air Transport Department of Civil Aviation Affairs receives and reviews passenger complaints against airlines, airports and ground handlers, investigates breaches and imposes penalties. The ministry lists its civil aviation rules on its [laws and regulations page](https://www.mtt.gov.bh/caa-laws-and-regulations).

Chapter 3 sets no deadline for passenger claims. Bahrain has been a Montreal Convention party since 2003, and claims under it for proven losses must be brought within two years (Article 35), so do not wait.

- Ticket and booking confirmation showing the operating airline.
- Scheduled, announced and actual departure and arrival times.
- Any message announcing a new departure time, or showing none was given.
- Receipts for meals, hotels or transport the airline did not provide.
- A copy of your complaint form and the airline’s reply.

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