Saudi Arabia Flight Delay Compensation: GACA Rules and Amounts

Which flights do Saudi Arabia’s passenger rights rules cover?

Every flight departing a Saudi airport is covered, whichever airline operates it, including domestic flights. Flights arriving in Saudi Arabia are covered only on Saudi airlines such as Saudia, flynas or flyadeal, and only where the departure country’s own rules do not apply. Discounted, loyalty-points and charter tickets are included.

The rules are GACA’s Passenger Rights Protection Regulations, approved by General Authority of Civil Aviation Board Decision No. 574/36 of 18/11/1444H (7 June 2023). Article 30 brought them into force 90 days after publication in the official gazette, and GACA Circular 174 fixes that date as 20 November 2023. They replaced the 2017 Customer Protection Regulations (Board Decision No. 380/20). We found no amendment up to October 2026.

Article 3 sets the scope. The English text excludes inbound Saudi-airline passengers who were “compensated” under the departure country’s rules; the Arabic original excludes them wherever the departure country’s regulations apply. So a London–Jeddah flight on Saudia is a UK261 claim, not a Saudi one. On codeshares, Article 4 makes the airline that operated a sector liable for that sector and the airline you contracted with liable for the whole journey. Article 19 extends the rules to charter flights.

Article 6 asks you to give correct contact details, arrive at the time the airline sets and carry valid documents for every country on your route. Keep your check-in confirmation and boarding pass: they show you met those conditions.

How much is Saudi flight delay compensation?

GACA’s rules pay 50 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) when you reach your destination three to six hours late and 150 SDR when you arrive more than six hours late. That is roughly SAR 254 or SAR 762 at mid-October 2026 rates. The amounts are the same for domestic and international flights, whatever the distance.

Article 10(6) calculates compensation from “the actual arrival time of the passenger compared to the arrival time specified in the Reservation”. The conversions below use the IMF’s SDR valuation of US$1.354 for 15 October 2026, the Saudi Central Bank’s fixed rate of SAR 3.75 per US dollar and the ECB reference rates for the same day. They are approximate. The regulation does not say which day’s rate applies, and GACA’s own passenger leaflet uses about SAR 5.1 per SDR.

Other delay rights sit alongside the cash. Under Article 10(7) you may end the contract once the flight is more than two hours late and receive a full refund of the ticket price, without fees. Under Article 10(8), a delay of more than five hours lets you treat the flight as cancelled and claim under the cancellation rules instead; the text does not say which cancellation band then applies.

These sums are smaller than EU261’s, which start at €250. If EU or UK law also covers your flight, that claim is usually worth more; see the EU261 section below.

What compensation do you get when a Saudi flight is cancelled?

A late cancellation pays a share of your fare, not a fixed sum. Refuse the alternative flight and you get a full refund plus 50%, 75% or 150% of the unused itinerary’s value, for notice of 60 to 14 days, 14 days to 24 hours, or under 24 hours. Accept it and delay compensation applies instead.

Article 12(1) allows a scheduled flight to be cancelled only for force majeure or for safety and security reasons backed by GACA-approved reports. Under Article 12(3), a passenger who accepts the alternative flight is “not entitled to compensation” for the cancellation; the delay rules apply to the gap between the two flights, so a replacement arriving more than three hours late still earns 50 or 150 SDR.

If you refuse the alternative, Article 12(5) requires a refund of the full ticket value including extras such as seat and baggage fees, and the airline’s duty of care ends (Article 12(4)). The percentage in Article 12(6) is calculated on the remaining part of the journey. On a promotional fare, Article 12(7) uses the highest price in the booked class on the approved tariff, not the discounted price you paid.

The regulation sets no compensation for notice of more than 60 days. A cancellation announced while you wait at the airport falls in the 150% band. Keep the cancellation message with its timestamp, because the notice period decides the band.

What do Saudi rules give for overbooking, downgrades and waiting at the airport?

If you are bumped from an overbooked flight and choose to cancel, you get a refund plus 200% of the unused fare, unless the airline can fly you within two hours. A downgrade earns the fare difference plus 50%. During delays, airlines owe refreshments from the first hour, a meal after three hours and a hotel after six.

Article 1 defines denied boarding narrowly, as refusal “due to overbooking”. Article 13 requires the airline to seek volunteers, upgrade you free if a higher-class seat is available, and let you choose another flight on the same or another airline at its cost. If you accept a later flight, the delay rules apply to the gap. Persons with disabilities, special-needs passengers, unaccompanied minors and travel groups, among others, may not be bumped at all.

Care is measured from the scheduled departure time (Article 10(5)) and set out in Article 17: refreshments from the first hour, a meal after three hours, and a hotel with airport transfers after six. If the airline fails to provide them, Article 17(3) adds 10, 30 or 100 SDR, and paying that money does not release it from providing the care.

Other fixed sums in the same regulation include 100 SDR for each extra stopover not announced at booking (Article 16(6)). Checked-baggage delay earns 148 SDR for the first day, then 60 SDR a day up to 1,288 SDR, and a lost bag 1,288 SDR (Article 15).

When can a Saudi airline refuse to pay compensation?

Only for force majeure or safety and security reasons backed by reports GACA approves. Article 20 says technical faults, operational conditions, scheduling and the airline’s own negligence do not count. Even then, you are kept informed hourly and can cancel for a full refund after three hours on domestic flights or six on international ones.

Article 1(17) defines force majeure as an exceptional event beyond the airline’s control that cannot be expected, predicted or avoided in normal operations. Unlike Oman’s regulation, the Saudi text has no list of qualifying events such as weather or strikes, so the airline has to show why its event fits the definition. Article 20(4) exempts it from compensation “based on reports approved by GACA”.

Article 20(2) is unusually clear: the airline “shall not claim Force Majeure” where a breach is due to “a technical failure of the aircraft, operational conditions, scheduling, or underestimation” by the airline or its staff. That is stricter on technical faults than Oman’s rules and close to how EU and UK courts treat ordinary technical problems; see our extraordinary circumstances guide.

Article 28 separately removes cash compensation for flights brought forward or delayed for air-transport security and safety reasons backed by GACA reports, while keeping support services. The text does not say whether meals and hotels under Article 17 continue during force majeure, only that “appropriate support services” do, so ask the airline in writing what it will provide.

Does EU261 or UK261 cover flights between Saudi Arabia and Europe?

Yes, in part. UK261 and EU261 cover every flight departing the UK or EU, so London–Riyadh on Saudia is a UK261 claim worth up to £520. Flights from Saudi Arabia to Europe are covered by UK or EU law only on a UK or EU airline; on Saudia they fall under GACA’s rules alone.

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. Saudi airlines are neither, so their flights from Jeddah or Riyadh to Europe are outside both.

On a London–Jeddah Saudia flight, UK261 applies and Saudi Article 3(2) steps back where the departure country’s rules apply. UK261 is also the stronger claim: it starts at a three-hour arrival delay and pays £220 to £520. Compare the regimes in our UK261 vs EU261 guide and EU261 rules guide.

A UK or EU airline flying from Saudi Arabia to Europe falls under GACA’s rules as a Saudi departure and can also fall under UK261 or EU261. Both European regulations exclude passengers who already received benefits or compensation and assistance in the third country, so declare any Saudi payment and expect one recovery, not two.

How do I claim Saudi flight compensation with AirHelp?

AirHelp says it handles claims under GACA’s Passenger Rights Protection Regulations. It checks your flight, submits the claim to the airline, escalates when needed and charges only if it wins: 35% of the compensation including VAT, plus 15% if legal action is needed. You can also contact the airline yourself.

AirHelp’s Saudi Arabia compensation page, updated 18 July 2026, says that if you are eligible it will “submit your claim to the airline and handle the process”, with its fee deducted from the compensation. Its fee page, updated 11 August 2026, sets the service fee at 35% including VAT and adds a 15% legal action fee where court action is needed. Illustration, not a quote: from 150 SDR (about SAR 762), a 35% fee leaves about SAR 495.

Move quickly, because GACA’s complaint rules run on 60 days from the incident (see below). Have your booking reference, the “operated by” airline for every sector, scheduled and actual times, the delay or cancellation messages with timestamps, any alternative offered and receipts for costs the airline did not cover.

Advertising disclosure: an AirHelp link marked Ad may earn TravelShifu a commission. That does not change the assessment above. AirHelp checks eligibility before taking a case, and if you have already complained to the airline, tell it so the claim is not duplicated.

What are the deadlines for a Saudi flight compensation claim?

Act within 60 days. GACA’s complaint rules require a complaint to the airline within 60 days of the incident, and any escalation to GACA must also fall inside that window. The airline has seven days to try to resolve the complaint, and Article 21 requires payment within 15 days of the incident.

The deadlines come from GACA’s Guidelines and Conditions of Submitting Complaints (version 1.0, November 2023), issued under Article 23 of the regulation. A complaint goes to the airline first; it may go straight to GACA only if complaining to the airline proved impossible, with proof. The airline must issue a reference number and give a written reply, not a bare “complaint processed”.

Unresolved complaints can be escalated to GACA’s Passenger Rights Protection Department through its complaints page, quoting the airline’s reference number. If the airline fails to answer GACA within 14 days of being notified, that counts as accepting the complaint and GACA decides on the documents. The same complaint cannot be lodged in two countries.

Article 26 keeps your right to sue in the competent court for consequential losses beyond the fixed sums. Claims under UK261 or EU261 follow national court limits instead; see our complete compensation guide and flight compensation hub.

• Booking confirmation and the “operated by” airline for every sector.
• Scheduled and actual departure and arrival times, with local time zones.
• The delay or cancellation message with its timestamp.
• The airline’s complaint reference number and written reply.
• Receipts for refreshments, meals, hotels or transport the airline did not provide.