Kampala-Paris flight delayed or cancelled: up to €600 compensation

The Entebbe (EBB) — Paris (CDG/ORY) route is one of the longest indirect connections from the Great Lakes region to Western Europe. With around 6 400 km of great-circle distance and almost always a connecting flight in Brussels, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Addis Ababa or Nairobi, the risk of a 3-hour+ delay or missed connection is real. The good news: under EU passenger rights law, you are very often entitled to €600 compensation per passenger.

Which Kampala-Paris flights are covered by EC 261/2004?

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies in two cases:

1. The flight departs from an EU airport (e.g. Brussels-Entebbe return), OR
2. The operating airline is EU-licensed (Brussels Airlines, KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, etc.) regardless of the departure point.

For a Kampala→Paris journey, you are covered if any one of these conditions is met. In practice:

Airline & route	EC 261 coverage
Brussels Airlines EBB→BRU→CDG	Yes (EU airline + EU connection)
KLM EBB→AMS→CDG	Yes (EU airline)
Turkish Airlines EBB→IST→CDG	Final leg IST→CDG covered (arrives EU); EBB→IST covered if single ticket
Ethiopian Airlines EBB→ADD→CDG	ADD→CDG covered (arrives EU on EU-licensed code) if applicable; EBB→ADD covered if single ticket via Wegener case law
Kenya Airways EBB→NBO→CDG	Final NBO→CDG covered; full journey covered if single ticket
Qatar Airways EBB→DOH→CDG	Final DOH→CDG covered; full journey if single ticket and Wegener applies

How much compensation for a Kampala-Paris delay?

The compensation amount under Article 7 of EC 261/2004 depends on the great-circle distance between the initial departure and the final destination:

• 3 500 km or more: €600 per passenger
• 1,500 to 3 500 km: €400 per passenger
• Under 1 500 km: €250 per passenger

Kampala (Entebbe) to Paris CDG = ~6 400 km. You are in the €600 bracket, period.

Per passenger, including children

Compensation applies to every passenger with a paid confirmed ticket, including children (infants under 2 without their own seat are excluded).

Example: family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children with seats) on a 5-hour delayed EBB-CDG via BRU = 4 × €600 = €2,400.

When are you entitled?

Delayed flight (Sturgeon ruling)

Since the Sturgeon v Condor ruling (CJEU, 19 November 2009, C-402/07), a delay of 3 hours or more at the final destination triggers the same compensation as a cancellation. You don't need the flight to be cancelled.

Cancelled flight

If your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, compensation is due — unless the airline offers a comparable rerouting (arrival within ±2-4h of the original) or proves extraordinary circumstances.

Missed connection (Folkerts ruling)

If your ticket is single (one booking) and you missed your Brussels/Amsterdam connection due to the EBB leg being late, the delay is measured at your final destination (Paris), not at the connection. Folkerts v Air France (CJEU, C-11/11) is your friend here.

Denied boarding (overbooking)

If you have a confirmed reservation and are denied boarding (overbooking, downgrade…), compensation is due regardless of the airline's operational reason. Reference: Rodríguez Cachafeiro (CJEU, C-321/11).

When the airline can refuse: extraordinary circumstances

The only valid reason to refuse compensation is "extraordinary circumstances" — but case law has dramatically narrowed this exception:

Reason invoked by airline	Extraordinary?
Technical issue (engine, hydraulics…)	No (Wallentin-Hermann)
Pilot or cabin crew strike	No (Krüsemann, Airhelp)
Bird strike	Yes, but airline must prove reasonable measures (Pešková)
Volcanic ash, severe weather, terrorism	Yes (McDonagh, etc.)
Air traffic control strike	Yes (external)
"Operational reason"	No (too vague, must be justified)

In our experience, around 80% of refusal grounds invoked by airlines are contestable using CJEU case law.

What to do if your Kampala-Paris flight was delayed

1. Keep your boarding passes and booking confirmation (PDF, email, screenshots).
2. Note the actual arrival time at CDG/ORY (door opening at the gate, not landing time).
3. Photograph the airport screens showing the delay or cancellation.
4. Keep receipts for any meals, taxis or hotels you paid for during the wait.
5. Don't accept vouchers or "compensation in miles" without checking — cash compensation under EC 261 cannot be replaced by vouchers without your explicit consent.
6. Submit your claim within 5 years in France (depending on jurisdiction). Use our simulator or contact us via WhatsApp.

Practical tips for the Uganda-France diaspora

• Take pictures of your boarding pass at Entebbe airport immediately — they fade quickly and stamps may be hard to read later.
• Ask for a written statement at the customer service desk documenting the reason given for the delay/cancellation. This is gold for your claim.
• If you're rerouted via a non-EU stop (Cairo, Addis, Nairobi…), keep all boarding passes — Folkerts + Wegener case law lets you claim for the entire single-ticket journey.
• Check the operating carrier, not the marketing carrier. A Kenya Airways-marketed flight may be operated by KLM (codeshare) and vice versa. The operating airline is the one liable.

Why use Robin des Airs?

Robin des Airs specialises in the Europe-Africa axis, including the Great Lakes region (Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, DRC). Our success rate on Entebbe-Paris claims is around 85%. We work on a success-fee basis: 25% commission only on amounts actually recovered. No recovery, no fee. Bilingual French/English support, primary contact via WhatsApp.

To check your eligibility, contact us with your booking reference, dates, and a brief description of what happened.

Related articles

• Nairobi-Paris flight delay compensation
• Ethiopian Airlines delayed flights
• Lost baggage compensation
• Full CJEU case law on EC 261