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Air Algérie Flight Compensation

What Air Algérie owes you depends on where your flight departed. On flights from the EU or the UK, the European rules give €250 on most France–Algeria routes (up to €400, or £350 from London) if you arrive 3 or more hours late for a reason within the airline’s control. On flights from Algeria, including the return leg to Europe, the European rules do not apply: Algerian rules give a flat 3,000 DA (domestic) or 4,500 DA (international) for a cancellation or denied boarding, plus the choice of another flight or a refund.

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Airport departure board with delayed and cancelled flights

Which rules apply to your Air Algérie flight?

Air Algérie is Algeria’s national airline (flight numbers start with AH). Air Algérie compensation depends on the airport your flight departed from, not on your nationality or the airline:

Your Air Algérie flight What you can get
From an EU airport, for example Paris, Marseille or Lyon to Algeria
EU261		 €250 to €400 if you arrive 3 or more hours late, plus meals, a hotel if needed, and a refund option after 5 hours
From a UK airport, for example London to Algiers
UK261		 £220 to £350 on the same conditions
Within or from Algeria, including Algiers to Paris
Algerian rules (decree 16-175 of 2016)		 A flat 3,000 DA (domestic) or 4,500 DA (international) for a cancellation or denied boarding, plus another flight or a refund. For a long delay: meals and a hotel if needed, and a refund after 5 hours
To or from Canada
Canadian rules (APPR)		 CAD 400 to 1,000 if you arrive 3 or more hours late, depending on the length of the delay
Any international flight
Montreal Convention		 Proven costs caused by the delay, such as a lost hotel night or a new ticket, if both countries are parties to the convention

Rules last checked: 24 October 2026. Rules change, so check the sources at the bottom of this page if your flight is recent.

Air Algérie flights from Europe: how much under EU261 and UK261

European rule EU261 (and UK261 in the United Kingdom) applies to every flight departing from an EU or UK airport, including flights on a non-European airline such as Air Algérie. Compensation depends on the flight distance and on how late you arrive at your final destination:

Route (great-circle distance) Compensation if you arrive 3+ hours late
Marseille – Algiers (about 770 km) €250
Lyon – Algiers (about 1,020 km) €250
Paris – Algiers (about 1,350 km) €250
London Heathrow – Algiers (about 1,670 km) £350
Berlin – Algiers (about 1,920 km) €400

The bands are €250 (or £220) up to 1,500 km and €400 (or £350) for 1,500–3,500 km (Article 7 of Regulation 261/2004). That a delay of 3 hours or more on arrival counts like a cancellation comes from the EU Court of Justice (Sturgeon, 19 November 2009). Distances are our own calculation between airport coordinates; most flights between France and Algeria stay under 1,500 km.

While you wait, Air Algérie must also give you meals and drinks, and a hotel with transport if you have to stay overnight. Once the delay reaches 5 hours you can choose not to fly and get a refund. A cancellation announced less than 14 days before departure can also give compensation.

When Air Algérie does not have to pay: when the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances outside the airline’s control, such as severe weather or an air traffic control strike. You still keep the right to meals, a hotel if needed, and a refund or another flight.

New EU rules on the way: on 7 July 2026 the European Parliament approved a revision of the air passenger rules. It keeps the 3-hour threshold and only applies 12 months after it enters into force, so for now the rules above apply.

Air Algérie flights from Algeria: the Algerian rules

A flight from Algiers, Oran or Constantine to Europe is not covered by EU261, since Air Algérie is an Algerian carrier, not an EU one. For these flights and for domestic flights, Algeria’s own rules apply: executive decree 16-175, dated 14 June 2016, on air passenger rights, published in the Journal officiel no. 36 of 19 June 2016. The text is on the website of Algeria’s civil aviation agency (ANAC) and Air Algérie summarises it in its own passenger rights leaflet:

  • Cancellation or denied boarding: a fixed sum, paid within 30 days: 3,000 DA for a domestic flight, 4,500 DA for an international one.
  • Cancellation: you choose between another flight and a refund of your ticket.
  • Long delay: drinks and meals, two phone calls or messages, and a hotel if the departure moves to the next day. Short flights (1,500 km or less) qualify after 2 hours, medium ones (1,500–3,500 km) after 3 hours and longer ones after 4 hours.
  • Delay of at least 5 hours: you can ask for a refund if you decide not to travel.
  • Exceptions: no compensation if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances or, according to Air Algérie’s leaflet, if you heard about it 14 days or more before departure.

The decree ties the flat amount to cancellation and denied boarding. Air Algérie’s leaflet is less clear on whether a long delay alone also gives it, so ask for it in your claim, but do not count on it. According to Air Algérie, the decree also covers flights from another country to Algeria, but only if you get nothing under that country’s rules for the same problem. On a flight from Paris you claim the higher EU261 amount, not both.

Extra costs because of the delay: the Montreal Convention

On international flights, the Montreal Convention lets you claim damage caused by a delay, such as a hotel night you lost or a new ticket for a missed connection. It is not a fixed amount: you claim what you can prove, up to 6,303 SDR per passenger (the limit since 28 December 2024). It only applies when both the departure and the destination country are parties to the convention. We could not confirm Algeria’s status from an official list, so check it before you rely on this route. Air Algérie’s own conditions of carriage (July 2023 edition, article 15.4) also make it liable for proven damage caused by a delay, unless it shows it took all reasonable measures. That edition still quotes an older limit of 5,346 SDR.

Air Algérie flights to or from Canada

On flights to, from or within Canada, the Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) apply, also to foreign airlines. Air Algérie publishes its own page on the Canadian rules with these amounts, which match the Canadian Transportation Agency:

Arrival delay Compensation
3 to 6 hours CAD 400
6 to 9 hours CAD 700
9 hours or more CAD 1,000

The delay counts at your final destination. There is no compensation for circumstances that could not be avoided. Claim from Air Algérie within one year; according to its page, the airline then has 30 days to reply. You cannot claim under the Canadian rules if you were already compensated for the same delay under another country’s rules.

How to claim from Air Algérie and file a complaint, step by step

  1. At the airport: ask the Air Algérie staff for meals or a hotel while you wait, and ask them to write down the reason for the delay or cancellation.
  2. Keep your proof: boarding pass, booking confirmation, a photo of the departure board and receipts for anything you had to buy yourself. Note the time you actually arrive at your final destination.
  3. Claim from Air Algérie in writing. Air Algérie’s online complaint platform is doleances.airalgerie.dz (E-doléances): you get a reference number to follow your complaint. Add your booking reference, flight number, date and proof. Tickets bought through a travel agent or booking site are refunded through them. What to write: how to claim money for a delayed flight.
  4. No answer or a refusal on a flight from France? File a complaint with the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) through the French government passenger rights page. The DGAC can act as a mediator but does not pay compensation itself. From another EU country, go to the aviation authority of that country; from the UK, see the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
  5. Still no result? The last step is a claim in court in the country you departed from.

How long do you have to claim?

Your flight Deadline
From Algeria (Algerian rules) 30 days after the planned arrival for a delay complaint, according to Air Algérie’s conditions of carriage (2021 edition)
From France (EU261) 5 years (French Court of Cassation, 10 October 2019)
From England or Wales (UK261) 6 years (UK Supreme Court, Dawson v Thomson Airways, 2014)
To or from Canada (APPR) 1 year after the flight

Other EU countries set their own deadlines. Whatever the rule, claim as soon as you can: proof is easier to find and the 2021 Algerian deadline is short.

When a claim service like AirHelp helps

You can claim yourself, as described above. A claim service is useful for flights departing from the EU or UK when Air Algérie does not respond or refuses, because the amounts there are the highest. AirHelp’s free flight check tells you within a minute whether your flight qualifies, and they only charge a fee if your claim succeeds. For the flat Algerian amount on flights from Algeria, claiming yourself is usually the better choice.

The AirHelp button below is an affiliate link: if you claim through it, GoBackpackGo earns a commission at no extra cost to you. How GoBackpackGo makes money.

Other non-European airlines we checked

EU261 works the same way for every non-European airline: it covers the flight from Europe, not the flight back. These guides explain the other country’s own rules:

Check your Air Algérie flight for free with AirHelp

FAQ

How much compensation do I get for a delayed Air Algérie flight?

On a flight from the EU you get €250 for most routes between France and Algeria (under 1,500 km) and €400 for longer routes such as Berlin to Algiers, if you arrive 3 or more hours late for a reason within the airline’s control. From the UK it is £220 or £350. Flights from Algeria do not fall under these rules.

Does EU261 apply to my Air Algérie flight from Algiers to Paris?

No. EU261 only covers flights arriving in the EU when the airline is European. Air Algérie flights from Algeria fall under the Algerian rules: 3,000 DA (domestic) or 4,500 DA (international) for a cancellation or denied boarding.

How do I file a complaint against Air Algérie?

Use Air Algérie’s online complaint platform doleances.airalgerie.dz with your booking reference and proof, and keep the reference number. If the flight departed from France and Air Algérie does not respond or refuses, file a complaint with the DGAC.

Can I get a refund if my Air Algérie flight is cancelled or delayed?

If Air Algérie cancels, you can choose another flight or a refund, both under the European and the Algerian rules. On flights from the EU or UK, and under the Algerian rules, you can also ask for a refund when the delay reaches 5 hours and you no longer want to travel.

Do I get compensation if bad weather or an air traffic control strike caused the delay?

No cash compensation, because these are extraordinary circumstances outside the airline’s control. On flights from the EU or UK you still get meals, a hotel if needed, and the choice of a refund or another flight.

Sources (checked 24 October 2026)

Official texts and the airline’s own documents

Explanations and news

About Air Algérie

Air Algérie is the national airline of Algeria, based in Algiers. It flies within Algeria and to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Website: airalgerie.dz.