Delayed or cancelled flight between the UK and Morocco, Tunisia or Algeria: your rights

Which rules apply to your flight

UK261 applies to every flight departing from a UK airport, whatever the airline, and to flights arriving in the UK when the airline is a UK or EU airline (Article 3). It always comes first. When it does not apply, the Montreal Convention covers international carriage between two of its States parties: Morocco joined it in 2010 and Tunisia in 2018. Algeria is not a party to the Montreal Convention but is a party to the Warsaw Convention, as amended at The Hague.

Related guide: UK261 or EU261? Which rules apply to your flight after Brexit

Montreal Convention: what you can claim

Under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, the airline is liable for the damage caused by the delay of passengers and baggage. It is not liable if it proves that it took all the measures that could reasonably be required to avoid the damage, or that it was impossible to take them.

There is no fixed compensation: what is reimbursed is the damage you can prove, such as meals, a hotel night, transport, a new ticket, a lost night or a missed appointment. Since 28 December 2024, the limits revised by the International Civil Aviation Organization are 6,303 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger for delay and 1,519 SDR for baggage (Article 22). These are ceilings, not amounts due.

Algeria: the Warsaw Convention

Algeria is a party to the Warsaw Convention of 1929 and to the Hague Protocol of 1955, but not to the Montreal Convention. A one-way journey from Algeria to the UK is therefore governed by the Warsaw Convention. A return journey that starts in the UK, a Montreal party, is governed by the Montreal Convention for both legs (Article 1(2)), because the departure and the destination are then in the same State party with a stopover in another State.

Under the Warsaw Convention too, the airline is liable for the damage caused by delay, unless it proves that it took all the necessary measures. Its limits are expressed in gold francs and their conversion depends on each State: we check them case by case.

What to keep

Because the reimbursement depends on what you can prove, keep every document from the start of the disruption:

• your booking confirmation or ticket and your boarding pass;
• the receipts for your expenses: meals, hotel, transport, a new ticket;
• any proof of your loss: a lost hotel night, a missed event or appointment, a lost day of work or leave;
• the airline's messages announcing the delay or cancellation, and its answers or vouchers;
• for baggage, the property irregularity report (PIR) made at the airport and your written complaint to the airline.

Time limits

For delayed baggage, the written complaint must reach the airline within 21 days of the date the baggage was placed at your disposal; for damaged baggage, within 7 days of receipt (Montreal Convention, Article 31). Any claim under the Montreal Convention must be brought within two years of the arrival, or of the date the aircraft ought to have arrived (Article 35); the Warsaw Convention also sets two years (Article 29).

Related guide: How long do you have to claim flight compensation in the UK?

Let FlightClaimHQ check your flight

Enter your flight details in our free check: it tells you whether UK261 applies, with an estimate in pounds, or an international convention, with the documents to keep. Every case is studied. No win, no fee: 25% incl. VAT, only if your claim succeeds.

Related guide: How to make a UK261 claim: flight compensation in 4 steps with FlightClaimHQ

Sources for this guide

• ICAO, list of the States parties to the Montreal Convention of 1999 (in French)
• ICAO, revised limits of liability under the Montreal Convention, effective 28 December 2024
• Montreal Convention of 28 May 1999, full text (Official Journal of the EU, EUR-Lex)
• ICAO, States parties to the Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol
• Carriage by Air Act 1961: Warsaw Convention as amended at The Hague (legislation.gov.uk)
• UK261, Article 3: scope (legislation.gov.uk)

My Royal Air Maroc flight from Marrakech to London was 5 hours late. Can I claim UK261?

No: UK261 covers arrivals in the UK only on a UK or EU airline. The Montreal Convention applies instead, because Morocco and the UK are both parties: your proven expenses and losses can be reimbursed, but there is no fixed compensation.

My flight from London to Tunis on Tunisair was cancelled. Which rules apply?

UK261, because the flight departs from the UK: whatever the airline, £220, £350 or £520 per passenger may be due, depending on the distance, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.

Is there a fixed amount under the Montreal Convention?

No. The convention sets ceilings (6,303 SDR per passenger for delay, 1,519 SDR for baggage), not amounts due: you are reimbursed for the damage you can prove.

I flew Algiers to London one way with Air Algérie. Which convention applies?

The Warsaw Convention, because Algeria is not a party to the Montreal Convention. On a return journey that started in the UK, the Montreal Convention would apply.

Can FlightClaimHQ handle a claim under the Montreal or Warsaw Convention?

Yes. FlightClaimHQ studies every case, works out which rules apply and handles the claim with nothing to pay upfront: 25% incl. VAT, only if your claim succeeds.

Published by FlightClaimHQ (TETRIS GROUP LLC) · Last reviewed: 7 November 2026