Jordan Flight Delay Compensation: CARC Rules and SDR Amounts

Which flights do Jordan’s passenger rights rules cover?

International and domestic flights departing any Jordanian airport are covered, on any airline, as are flights into Jordan on a Jordanian airline such as Royal Jordanian. Cash compensation applies only to international flights. Free and non-public fares are excluded, frequent-flyer tickets are included, and passengers already compensated abroad are not covered.

The rules are the Consumer Protection Instructions (Part 209) of 2020, issued by the Board of Commissioners of the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) under Article 55 of Civil Aviation Law No. 41 of 2007. Article 1 brings them into force 30 days after publication in the Official Gazette. CARC’s English text is headed “The Official Gazette” but does not show the issue or date, and we could not confirm them from another official source.

Article 3 applies the instructions to scheduled and non-scheduled flights departing any airport in Jordan, on Jordanian or foreign airlines, and to flights arriving in Jordan on a Jordanian airline. Article 14(b) excludes passengers who were given benefits or compensation outside Jordan, and Article 22(d) excludes free and non-public fares except frequent-flyer tickets.

Article 5 requires a confirmed reservation, check-in at the announced time or 45 minutes before departure, and the documents your destination requires. Article 10(b) adds that you cannot claim compensation if you gave the airline no contact details at booking, so make sure your booking holds your phone number and email.

How much is Jordan flight delay compensation?

Article 8 pays 100 SDR for international flights under 1,500 km, 150 SDR from 1,500 to 4,000 km and 200 SDR beyond, per passenger. That is roughly JOD 96, 144 or 192. The airline may halve it if your rerouted flight arrives within two, three or four hours of the original.

The conversions below use the IMF’s SDR valuation of US$1.354 for 15 October 2026, the Central Bank of Jordan’s fixed rate of JOD 0.709 per US dollar and the ECB reference rates for the same day. They are approximate; the legal amount is the SDR figure. Distance is measured by great-circle route (Article 8(c)): Amman–Cairo, about 470 km, is in the lowest band, and Amman–London, about 3,680 km, in the middle one.

Article 8(f) requires payment within 30 days of the due date, in cash, by bank transfer, bank order or cheque, or in vouchers only under a signed agreement with you. Article 23(b) lets CARC’s board adjust the amounts every three years for Jordanian inflation; we found no record of an adjustment.

Domestic flights, such as Amman–Aqaba, earn no cash compensation under Article 8(d). They get care and refund or rerouting rights instead, with land transport to a nearby airport possible by agreement (Article 8(e)).

When is a delayed or cancelled flight from Jordan owed compensation?

Compensation is due when an international departure is delayed eight hours or more, when a flight is cancelled with less than seven days’ notice, when it is brought forward by eight hours or more, or when you are bumped against your will. Delays of two to seven hours bring care, and from five hours a refund or rerouting.

The instructions define a delay as a delay to departure, so it is measured at take-off, not arrival. Under Article 9, a delay under two hours brings nothing; from two hours, care without accommodation; from five to seven hours, care plus a refund or rerouting; and from eight hours, care, refund or rerouting, and compensation.

For cancellations, Article 10(a) pays compensation where you were told less than seven days before the flight, and none where you were told at least seven days before. The airline, or the travel agency that contracted a charter, must prove when it told you (Article 10(e)).

Article 10(f) gives refund or rerouting rights when departure is brought forward by more than five and less than eight hours, and Article 10(g) adds compensation at eight hours or more. CARC’s English text of Article 10(g) says “at least seven days” of notice, which conflicts with the cancellation rule and may be a translation slip; we could not check the Arabic.

What care and refunds do Jordan’s rules give?

From two hours late, the airline owes refreshments, meals and free communication, but no hotel. From five hours it must also offer a refund within 30 days or rerouting, with accommodation and transfers where needed. Article 7(b) says opting for the refund-or-rerouting assistance ends the right to care, so check before you choose.

Article 6 lists the care: refreshments and meals in proportion to the delay, accommodation until an alternative flight leaves, transfers between the airport and the accommodation, and free communication. In force majeure, Article 6(b) still requires care “as it is customary within the industry”.

Article 7 gives the choice between a refund of the unused part of the ticket within 30 days, or of used parts too with a return flight if the trip no longer serves its purpose, and rerouting to your final destination or another airport serving the same area, with land transport to the original destination.

Article 12 bans charging for an upgrade and, for a downgrade, pays either the fare difference for the downgraded part or 50% of the ticket price excluding taxes. Article 19 makes any agreement releasing the airline from these duties void.

Can a Jordanian airline refuse compensation for force majeure?

For cancellations, the airline escapes compensation only if it proves force majeure that could not be avoided even with all reasonable measures, or that you breached your own obligations. The English text gives no matching exemption for eight-hour delays. In force majeure, care continues at the level customary in the industry.

Article 2 defines force majeure as “exceptional or unusual events which are by nature or origin beyond the actual control of the air carrier”. Article 10(d) applies it to cancellation compensation and adds a second defence where the passenger did not meet the Article 5 conditions. There is no list of qualifying events such as weather or technical faults.

Article 9(d), which pays compensation for delays of eight hours or more, has no force-majeure exemption in CARC’s English text. Expect airlines to argue one anyway, and keep the airline’s written reason for the delay. We could not compare the Arabic original, which prevails.

Article 14(a) keeps your rights under international agreements such as the Montreal Convention and lets the airline deduct compensation paid under these instructions from those other awards. For how EU and UK law treat technical faults and weather, see our extraordinary circumstances guide.

Does EU261 or UK261 cover Royal Jordanian flights to Europe?

Mainly on flights from Europe. UK261 covers London–Amman on Royal Jordanian, worth up to £520, but not Amman–London on Royal Jordanian, which is neither a UK nor an EU airline. That return flight falls under Jordan’s rules instead, which pay 150 SDR, about £153, only after an eight-hour delay.

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.

On London–Amman with Royal Jordanian, Jordan’s Article 14(b) excludes passengers given benefits or compensation outside Jordan, so a UK261 payment ends the Jordanian claim. UK261 is the stronger claim anyway: it pays from a three-hour arrival delay. Compare the regimes in our UK261 vs EU261 guide and EU261 rules guide.

A UK or EU airline flying from Jordan to Europe falls under Jordan’s rules as a departure from Jordan and can also fall under UK261 or EU261, unless you received benefits or compensation and assistance in Jordan.

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

AirHelp does not handle claims under Jordan’s rules: it has no Jordan page, and its Royal Jordanian page cites only EU and UK law. For a flight only Jordan covers, the complaint goes to the airline first and then to CARC, the regulator. AirHelp can still take a flight UK261 or EU261 covers.

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

Article 4 requires every complaint to be recorded with the airline first and lets you refer it to CARC if the airline does not comply. CARC’s Travelers Complaints form covers denied boarding, delays, cancellations and baggage, and asks for your passport, ticket, boarding pass and a copy of the complaint you sent the airline.

Article 22(c) lets you appoint someone else to claim for you only under a notarised power of attorney, which matters if you use any representative. Article 17 requires airlines to display a notice of your rights at the gate, on their website and at sales offices.

How long do you have to claim compensation in Jordan?

Two years. Article 21 extinguishes the right to compensation unless a court action is brought within two years of arrival, of the date the aircraft should have arrived, or of the date the carriage stopped. The airline must pay due compensation within 30 days, and refunds within 30 days too.

Article 21(b) leaves the method of counting the two years to the law of the court hearing the case. A complaint to the airline or to CARC is not a court action, so keep the two-year date in view while either is under way.

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.
• Scheduled and actual departure times, with time zones.
• The cancellation or schedule-change message, with the date you received it.
• A copy of your complaint to the airline and its reply.
• Passport copy and boarding pass, which CARC’s form requests.