Banjul flight delay: €600 compensation per passenger (Gambia)

Banjul (BJL) is the capital of the Gambia, and it has no direct flight from Paris. The Gambian diaspora in Europe reaches the country mainly through Brussels, Barcelona, Lisbon or London. Which of those you fly decides whether you are owed €600, and that is the whole point of this page.

Are you eligible? The rule in 30 seconds

EC 261/2004 applies in two cases:

• The flight departs from an EU airport (Brussels, Barcelona, Lisbon): covered whatever the airline.
• The airline is European: covered in both directions, including departures from Banjul.

The 3-hour threshold is measured on arrival (doors open), not at departure.

The routes that actually serve the Gambia

• Brussels (BRU) on Brussels Airlines, about 4,700 km. The main European gateway, sometimes routed via Dakar or Conakry.
• Barcelona (BCN) on Vueling, about 4,100 km. Seasonal, frequency varies.
• Lisbon (LIS) on TAP Air Portugal, about 3,800 km.
• London (LHR / LGW) on British Airways. See the Brexit note below.
• Casablanca (CMN) on Royal Air Maroc, and Istanbul (IST) on Turkish Airlines: indirect, non-EU carriers.

All the EU routes are over 3,500 km, which puts them in the top bracket: €600 per passenger.

Flying from London: a different scheme

Since 2021, a flight departing the United Kingdom is governed by UK Regulation 261, the British copy of the European text, not by EC 261. The amount is broadly equivalent, £520 for long-haul, but the claim goes through a different route. If you fly Banjul-London, this is the scheme that concerns you.

The separate-tickets trap

Some agencies sell CDG-BRU on a low-cost carrier plus BRU-BJL on Brussels Airlines as two separate tickets. If the first flight is late and you miss the second, nobody owes you the onward leg: it is a self-connection, and it is not protected. A single booking covering the whole journey costs a little more and protects the connection.

Family: every passenger counts

Compensation is due per passenger, regardless of age. A family of 6 flying Brussels-Banjul for a wedding in Brikama, delayed 5 hours: 6 x €600 = €3,600 recovered, of which €2,700 for you (75%) in the amicable phase.

What you receive, in full

Robin des Airs does not work for you: Robin des Airs buys your claim and recovers it in its own name. So you have no fee to pay, you have an assignment price to receive, which depends on what is actually recovered.

• €0 upfront, and €0 if nothing is recovered. The risk is ours, not yours.
• We always start with the amicable phase. You then receive 75% of what is recovered.
• Court only happens if the airline refuses to pay. You then receive 60%, and the lawyer, bailiff and court costs are advanced and borne by us, win or lose.
• Paid to your account within 5 working days of collection.

We handle the file in English, French, Wolof, Mandinka and Pular. Travel agencies in the Gambia can also refer passengers through our Gambia agency programme.