Delayed, cancelled or lost bags? Your passenger rights

We are not aware of a published Somali compensation scheme like the European one, so on flights to and from Mogadishu your rights depend mostly on the airline's own conditions of carriage — plus stronger rules that cover parts of many diaspora journeys.

First steps at the airport

• Ask airline staff what is happening and keep your boarding pass, booking and receipts.
• If you are stuck for hours, ask for meals, a phone call or a hotel — many airlines provide them.
• If your bag does not arrive, report it at the airline's baggage desk before you leave the arrivals hall and keep the reference number (Property Irregularity Report).

Flights leaving the EU or the UK

EU Regulation 261/2004 covers flights departing an EU airport on any airline, and flights into the EU on EU airlines. The UK applies the same rules (UK261) to flights departing the UK and to flights into the UK on UK or EU airlines. If you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late, your flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you are denied boarding, you may be owed fixed compensation — €250, €400 or €600 (£220, £350 or £520 under UK rules) depending on distance — unless the cause was an extraordinary circumstance such as bad weather or a security alert. The airline must also look after you (meals, hotel) while you wait.

On one booking such as London → Istanbul → Mogadishu, these rules can cover the whole journey when the first flight leaves the UK or EU. Check the details with your airline or the official sites listed below.

Turkish passenger rules (SHY-Yolcu)

Türkiye's regulation covers flights departing Turkish airports and flights by Turkish airlines into Türkiye — for example Istanbul ↔ Mogadishu on Turkish Airlines. For cancellations and denied boarding it sets compensation of €100 for domestic flights and €250, €400 or €600 for international flights depending on distance, usually paid in Turkish lira. Since an amendment in December 2024 it can also apply to long delays caused by the airline. Extraordinary circumstances are excluded.

Lost, delayed or damaged baggage

On international journeys the Montreal Convention makes the airline liable for lost, delayed or damaged baggage up to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger (about US$2,000 — the value changes daily) since 28 December 2024. Deadlines are short: claim in writing within 7 days for damaged baggage and within 21 days of receiving a delayed bag. Keep receipts for essentials you have to buy.

How to claim

• Claim first with the airline that operated the flight, using the claim or customer-relations form on its website — see our airline pages for links.
• Keep copies of tickets, boarding passes, the baggage report and receipts.
• If the airline does not answer within 8 weeks, EU and UK passengers can turn to the national enforcement body or an approved dispute scheme; in Türkiye, to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM).

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and amounts change — always check the official sources.