Turkish Airlines Flight Delay Compensation — EU261 Applies for EU Departures
Turkish Airlines (IATA: TK) is Turkey's flag carrier, flying to more countries than any other airline. As a non-EU carrier, EU Regulation 261/2004 applies only for flights departing from EU or UK airports. London Heathrow–Istanbul on TK? Covered. Istanbul–London on TK? NOT covered. You may be owed up to €600 per person for your EU/UK-departure leg.
⚠️ EU departures only — Istanbul departures are NOT covered
Turkish Airlines routes from Europe — compensation amounts
| EU/UK Departure | Route | Compensation | Claim window |
|---|---|---|---|
| London LHR | Istanbul IST (via TK) (2,500 km) | €400 | 6 years (UK CAA) |
| London LHR | New York JFK (via IST on TK) (5,500 km) | €600 | 6 years (UK CAA) |
| Paris CDG | Istanbul IST (TK) (2,200 km) | €400 | 5 years (DGAC) |
| Frankfurt FRA | Istanbul IST (TK) (2,000 km) | €400 | 3 years (LBA) |
| Madrid MAD | Istanbul IST (TK) (3,400 km) | €400 | 1 year ⚠️ (AESA) |
Long-haul via Istanbul hub — €600 if you departed from EU
Turkish Airlines operates many long-haul routes via its Istanbul hub. If you booked London–Istanbul–New York on a single TK ticket and arrived at JFK 5 hours late, your entire journey qualifies for €600 — because it departed from London (EU261 territory) on a single ticket. The destination is over 3,500 km from London.
How to claim Turkish Airlines EU261 compensation
- 1
File directly with Turkish Airlines
Submit your EU261 claim via Turkish Airlines' customer support portal. Specify your EU/UK departure airport, that the claim is under EU Regulation 261/2004, your booking reference, and actual arrival delay. TK tends to respond within 4–8 weeks.
Turkish Airlines complaint form → - 2
Escalate to your EU/UK departure country's authority
UK CAA for London/Manchester flights. DGAC for Paris. LBA for Frankfurt. AESA for Madrid/Barcelona — with Spain's 1-year deadline, file immediately after a refusal. These bodies can enforce EU261 against Turkish Airlines.
Find your enforcement body → - 3
Use a no-win no-fee claim service
AirHelp handles Turkish Airlines EU261 claims for EU/UK-departure flights. Commission: ~25% only if successful. UK passengers have 6 years to claim LHR-departure TK flights.
Check via AirHelp →
Turkish Airlines common denial tactics
- →"EU261 doesn't apply to Turkish Airlines" — false for EU/UK departures; all carriers operating from EU soil are bound by EU261
- →"Your Istanbul departure is not covered" — correct, but your EU outbound leg is. File for the EU-departure flight only
- →"The delay was under 3h at departure" — EU261 measures arrival delay at final destination, not departure delay
- →"Technical issue was extraordinary circumstances" — courts require detailed technical documentation; generic statements are rejected
- →Spain passengers: Turkish Airlines operates from Madrid and Barcelona — the 1-year Spanish deadline applies, file immediately
Find past Turkish Airlines delays in your inbox
SubRadar scans your Gmail or Outlook for Turkish Airlines booking emails and flags EU/UK-departure flights that may qualify for EU261 compensation.
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