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:
- The flight departs from an EU airport (e.g. Brussels-Entebbe return), OR
- 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
- Keep your boarding passes and booking confirmation (PDF, email, screenshots).
- Note the actual arrival time at CDG/ORY (door opening at the gate, not landing time).
- Photograph the airport screens showing the delay or cancellation.
- Keep receipts for any meals, taxis or hotels you paid for during the wait.
- Don't accept vouchers or "compensation in miles" without checking: cash compensation under EC 261 cannot be replaced by vouchers without your explicit consent.
- 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.
What the regulation actually says
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 is the legal text behind this claim. Here is what it says, article by article:
- Article 5, cancellation: if your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer a refund or rerouting, plus compensation unless you were informed far enough in advance or offered a close rerouting.
- Article 6 and the Sturgeon ruling, long delay: Article 6 covers delay at departure. The CJEU's Sturgeon ruling (C-402/07) extended the right to compensation to any delay of 3 hours or more at final arrival, treating it like a cancellation.
- Article 7, compensation amount: the amount depends on distance, fixed per passenger regardless of ticket price: 250 euros under 1,500 km, 400 euros between 1,500 and 3,500 km, 600 euros above 3,500 km.
- Article 5(3), extraordinary circumstances: the airline's only valid defence. Routine technical issues, crew rotation problems and airport congestion generally do not qualify; a genuinely exceptional event might.
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: you keep 75% of what we recover. 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.