South African Airways EU261 Compensation — up to €600
South African Airways (IATA: SA) is South Africa's national carrier, operating long-haul routes from London Heathrow, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo (JNB). As a non-EU carrier, EU261 applies when your flight departed from a UK or EU airport — meaning the outbound leg only.
⚠️ EU/UK departures only
EU261 applies
NOT covered
EU261 applies
NOT covered
Compensation — South African Airways routes
| Route (departing EU/UK) | Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| London (LHR) → Johannesburg (JNB) | ~9,000 km | €600 |
| Frankfurt (FRA) → Johannesburg (JNB) | ~9,700 km | €600 |
| Amsterdam (AMS) → Johannesburg (JNB) | ~9,400 km | €600 |
| EU/UK → Cape Town (CPT) via JNB | > 9,000 km | €600 |
All LHR/FRA/AMS–JNB routes exceed 3,500 km by a wide margin → €600 for 4h+ delays. 3h+ delay on arrival qualifies. Connections via JNB count as one journey on a single ticket.
SAA restructuring — can you still claim?
South African Airways entered business rescue in 2019 and briefly suspended operations. It relaunched in 2021 and resumed international routes including London Heathrow. Flights operated under the current SAA entity (post-2021) are fully subject to EU261. For flights before the suspension (pre-November 2019), claims become more complex and may need to go through the business rescue process — consult AirHelp or a claims specialist.
Claim deadlines by country
Check your old SAA bookings
SubRadar scans your Gmail or Outlook for South African Airways booking confirmation emails and flags potential EU261 claims — including flights from up to 6 years ago.
Scan my flight emails freeFile with AirHelp — no win, no fee
AirHelp processes EU261 claims against South African Airways for EU/UK departure delays. ~25% fee only if successful.
Check your SAA claim →Other Africa long-haul routes: