Egypt Flight Delay Compensation: ECAR 601 Rules and Amounts

Which flights do Egypt’s passenger rights rules cover?

International departures from Egypt are covered on any airline, and flights into Egypt only on an Egyptian airline such as EgyptAir, unless you were already compensated and assisted abroad. Domestic flights are outside the regulation. You must check in on time, carry valid documents, and not be travelling free or on a non-public fare.

The rules are Egyptian Civil Aviation Regulations (ECAR) Part 601, Passengers Protection, Issue 6, Revision 2, dated July 2019, issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) under Civil Aviation Law No. 28 of 1981 as amended by Law No. 136 of 2010. ECAA’s legislation page lists it as current with the date 1 July 2019, and publishes it in English only.

Part 601-3 applies the regulation to international flights for passengers using commercial air services at an Egyptian airport, and to passengers flying from another country to Egypt on an Egyptian airline unless they received benefits or compensation and assistance there. Part 601-16 describes ECAA’s enforcement role in the same terms: flights from Egyptian airports and flights from other countries to them.

Part 601-3 also requires a confirmed reservation, check-in at the time indicated or 45 minutes before departure, valid travel documents, and compliance with the airline’s instructions, security checks, and immigration and health requirements. Free and non-public fares are excluded, but frequent-flyer tickets are covered.

How much compensation does Egypt’s ECAR 601 pay?

Part 601-7 sets EGP 300 for flights under 1,000 km, EGP 900 from 1,000 to 4,000 km and EGP 1,500 beyond, per passenger. It applies only to involuntary denied boarding and qualifying cancellations, and only if you claim within 30 days of the incident. These sums are far smaller than EU261’s €250–600.

The amounts appear in square brackets in the official text, as published. We have not converted them: the Egyptian pound floats, the ECB publishes no reference rate for it, and the amount you receive depends on the Central Bank of Egypt’s rate on the day you are paid.

Part 601-7(b) lets the airline replace the compensation with a voluntary agreement, but only if you sign a document that reminds you of your rights under the regulation. Read any such offer against the table before you sign. Unlike EU261, Part 601 has no rule halving compensation for a quick reroute; instead, a reroute arriving less than four hours late removes cancellation compensation altogether.

Downgrades are compensated separately under Part 601-10: 30%, 50% or 75% of the segment price, by the same distance bands, within seven days, with a free one-way economy ticket for the downgraded sector.

Does Egypt pay compensation for a delayed flight?

No fixed sum. Part 601-6 gives care, meaning meals, refreshments, two calls or emails and a hotel if needed, once a departure is expected to be at least two hours late, and the choice of a refund within seven days from five hours. A tarmac delay reaching five hours means returning to the gate, safety permitting.

Part 601-6(a) ties delay rights to departure: care under Part 601-9 from two hours, and from five hours the refund under Part 601-8(a), paid within seven days of your request, with a return flight to your first point of departure where needed. Part 601-6(c) applies the same rights to schedule changes that make you arrive later, unless you were told more than 15 days before departure.

Where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances, Part 601-9(c) lets it cap hotel costs at EGP 500 per night per passenger for up to two nights.

A delay on a flight that EU261 or UK261 also covers, such as a London–Cairo departure, can still earn compensation under those laws. The Montreal Convention, which Egypt has been party to since 2005, separately covers proven losses caused by delay, and Part 601-12 preserves that right.

When does a cancelled or overbooked flight from Egypt earn compensation?

A cancellation earns EGP 300–1,500 unless you were told at least two weeks ahead, or told later and offered a reroute reaching your destination less than four hours late. Being bumped against your will earns the same sums. Either way, you also choose between a refund within seven days and rerouting.

Part 601-5(a) gives every cancelled passenger the choice in Part 601-8, and care when the rerouted flight is expected to leave at least two hours after the cancelled one. Compensation follows unless one of the two notice exceptions applies, or the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures (Part 601-5(b)).

For overbooking, Part 601-4 requires the airline to call for volunteers first. Passengers refused against their will receive compensation under Part 601-7, plus assistance and care. Refusals on reasonable grounds such as health, safety, security or inadequate documents are not denied boarding under the definitions in Part 601-2.

Part 601-14 requires the airline to give each passenger denied boarding or cancelled a written notice of the compensation and assistance rules, with the contact details of the enforcement body. Ask for it at the airport.

What counts as extraordinary circumstances under Egypt’s rules?

Annex 601-17 lists natural disasters, in-flight technical defects and hidden manufacturing defects, security risks, medical emergencies, air-traffic restrictions or closed airspace, unsafe weather, strikes at airports or air navigation providers, and structural damage. Problems found in routine maintenance and crew shortages do not count. The definitions section adds a broader defence too.

The annex is described as a non-exhaustive list. Its technical category covers a defect identified during the flight that prevents it continuing normally, or a hidden manufacturing defect revealed by the manufacturer or an authority. It expressly excludes problems identified during routine maintenance or checks, and the unavailability of flight or cabin crew.

Part 601-2(f) goes further. After defining extraordinary circumstances as those beyond the airline’s actual control, it says the airline is relieved of its obligations where it proves it exercised reasonable care and skill under the contract of carriage, or that denied boarding or a cancellation was caused by circumstances beyond its control or affecting safety or security. The first limb is unusually broad, and we found no ECAA guidance on how it is applied.

For how EU and UK law treat similar events, see our extraordinary circumstances guide.

Does EU261 or UK261 cover EgyptAir and holiday flights to Egypt?

Mainly on flights from Europe. UK261 covers London–Cairo on EgyptAir, worth up to £520 for a long delay, but not Cairo–London on EgyptAir, which is neither a UK nor an EU airline. That return flight falls under Egypt’s rules, which pay nothing fixed for delays and EGP 900 for a late cancellation.

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 and the CAA’s coverage table show. EU passenger rights cover all EU departures but only EU airlines flying in.

Holiday flights matter most here. Hurghada–Manchester or Sharm el-Sheikh–Gatwick on a UK airline falls under Egypt’s rules as an international departure and can also fall under UK261, which pays from a three-hour arrival delay. On an Egyptian airline flying the same route, only Egypt’s rules apply. Compare the European regimes in our UK261 vs EU261 guide and EU261 rules guide.

Both European regulations exclude passengers who received benefits or compensation and assistance in Egypt, and Egypt’s own rules do the same for inbound passengers helped abroad. Expect one recovery per disruption.

Does AirHelp handle Egyptian claims, and how do you claim?

No. AirHelp has no Egypt page, and its EgyptAir page cites only EU and UK law. For a flight only Egypt’s rules cover, the claim goes to the airline within 30 days of the incident, and Part 601-16 lets you complain to the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority. AirHelp can still take UK261 or EU261 flights.

We checked AirHelp’s UK and international sites on 16 October 2026. Its passenger-rights address for Egypt returns no page, and its EgyptAir page 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.

Part 601-16 names ECAA as the enforcement body and lets each passenger complain to it, or to another body Egypt designates, about an infringement. We found no dedicated passenger-complaint form on ECAA’s website, so send your complaint in writing to ECAA with your ticket, the airline’s reply and your evidence.

Because the 30-day window is short, put the claim to the airline in writing straight away and keep proof of the date you sent it.

How long do you have to claim compensation in Egypt?

Thirty days. Part 601-7 pays compensation “in case a claim is made within 30 days from the date of the incident”, so a late claim risks losing the fixed sum entirely. Refunds are due within seven days of your request. Claims for proven losses under the Montreal Convention have a two-year limit.

The 30 days run from the incident, not from the airline’s reply, so count from the date of the cancellation or denied boarding. Montreal Convention claims must be brought within two years under its Article 35.

Claims under UK261 or EU261 follow national court limits instead, which differ between countries; see our complete compensation guide and flight compensation hub.

• Ticket and booking confirmation showing the operating airline.
• The cancellation message, with the date you received it.
• Every reroute offered, with its scheduled arrival time.
• The airline’s written notice of rights, if you received one.
• Proof of the date you sent your claim.