Air Mauritius: delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight — your rights

Air Mauritius flight delayed, cancelled, overbooked or disrupted by a strike? Depending on the direction of travel and the departure point, you may be entitled to a fixed compensation of up to €600 per passenger (EU Regulation 261/2004), or to reimbursement of your actual expenses (Montreal Convention). Free eligibility check by Robin des Airs, no upfront fee.

Air Mauritius is a non-European carrier (Mauritius). EU Regulation 261/2004 only applies to its flights if they physically depart from an EU airport. Departing Port Louis towards Europe, the fixed amount is not owed; it is the Montreal Convention that then covers the actual, evidenced loss (hotel, meals, transport, but also a missed appointment or a lost non-refundable service, on production of evidence).

Air Mauritius in brief

• Country of registration: Mauritius
• Main hub: Port Louis
• Status under EU Regulation 261/2004: non-European carrier, covered only when departing the EU

Air Mauritius refunds: ticket price vs compensation

Two different things are often confused. A ticket refund, with the option of re-routing, is owed by Air Mauritius as soon as it cancels a flight, whatever the direction of travel. Where there is simply a delay of 5 hours or more, only the refund is available, and only if you give up the journey (art. 6(1)(iii) and art. 8(1)(a) of the regulation): what comes back is the price you paid. The fixed compensation under EU261 (up to €600) is a separate right, which is added to the refund and does not depend on the ticket price, only on the distance and the direction of the flight. The two are cumulative whenever EU261 applies.

Air Mauritius delayed flight

The delay is measured on arrival (when the doors open), not at departure. From 3 hours of delay recorded on arrival, the fixed amount is owed, without you having to prove any financial loss: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km, €600 beyond.

Air Mauritius' excuses: valid or not

Valid excuses: extreme weather, airspace closure, air traffic control strikes, bird strike or debris on the runway. Even then, the airline must prove it took all reasonable measures to limit the delay.

Invalid excuses (compensation remains due): a technical fault on the aircraft, even an unforeseen one (Wallentin-Hermann and van der Lans, CJEU), the aircraft running late on its previous rotation, understaffing or internal organisational problems.

Air Mauritius cancelled flight

If Air Mauritius cancels your flight and informs you less than 14 days before departure, you are entitled to the compensation per passenger, plus either a ticket refund OR re-routing, at your choice. These two rights are cumulative (art. 7 and art. 8 of the regulation). A travel voucher only replaces a cash refund if you accept it: you can refuse it and insist on a bank transfer.

Note: being told less than 14 days in advance does not always trigger compensation on its own. If Air Mauritius also offers re-routing at times very close to the original flight, it may escape payment in certain specific cases. The three scenarios explained in detail.

Missed connection with Air Mauritius

Did Air Mauritius cause you to miss your connection? If your ticket is a single booking covering the whole journey, the delay is measured at your final destination, whatever leg caused it (Folkerts, CJEU 2013).

Because Air Mauritius is a non-European carrier, coverage depends on the rest of the itinerary: if another leg of the same booking is operated by a European carrier, or departs from an EU airport, the final delay can open the right to the fixed amount. If the whole journey stays outside the scope of the regulation, only the Montreal Convention applies.

Be careful: if you bought two separate tickets rather than a single booking, the protection is far weaker, as each flight is assessed independently.

Air Mauritius overbooking / denied boarding

Involuntary denied boarding (overbooking) opens the same rights as a cancellation. Article 4 of EU Regulation 261/2004 requires the airline to first call for volunteers before denying boarding to anyone. If you are denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to the fixed compensation (up to €600), plus assistance (meals, accommodation where necessary) and a refund or re-routing at your choice.

Unlike a cancellation, overbooking admits almost no excuse: it is a commercial decision by the airline, never an extraordinary circumstance.

Strikes and Air Mauritius flights

It depends on who is striking. A strike by Air Mauritius' own staff (pilots, cabin crew, ground staff employed by the airline) is not an extraordinary circumstance: the CJEU held this in Krüsemann, on the basis that an employer must anticipate this type of social risk. Compensation remains due.

A strike by third parties outside Air Mauritius (air traffic controllers, airport staff not employed by the airline, a national general strike) may, depending on the case, be recognised as a valid extraordinary circumstance, provided Air Mauritius proves it took all reasonable measures to limit the impact.

How to contact Air Mauritius about a claim

Air Mauritius handles direct claims slowly, often without a reply for several months. Before writing yourself, keep your boarding pass, your e-ticket and any delay or cancellation notification: these are the documents that make the difference if the airline refuses or stays silent.

How long do you have to claim?

5 years before the French courts (art. 2224 of the French Civil Code) for the EU261 compensation, whichever of the situations above applies. An Air Mauritius flight disrupted two or three years ago can still be claimed today.

Sources and references

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — article 7 (compensation), article 8 (refund/re-routing), article 9 (right to care)
• Montreal Convention (1999)
• Actual loss and evidence: what is refundable outside EU261

How to claim with Robin des Airs

A specialist in the Africa-Europe corridors, Robin des Airs checks whether your Air Mauritius flight qualifies (direction of travel, distance, cause of the delay), builds the file, sends the claim and challenges refusals. Nothing to pay if nothing is recovered. You receive 75% of the sums recovered at the amicable stage, and 60% if the airline forces us to go to court.

→ File my Air Mauritius claim in 2 min