Kinshasa (FIH) · EC 261 Regulation
Europe ↔ Kinshasa flight delayed or cancelled? Up to €600 per passenger
Kinshasa is the largest French-speaking city in the world, connected to Europe mainly via Brussels and Paris. If your flight arrived with 3 hours of delay or more, was cancelled, or you were denied boarding, EU Regulation 261/2004 may entitle you to up to €600 per passenger, in addition to any ticket refund. Send us your flight number: the check is free and takes less than a minute.
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In brief
| Your situation | Main right |
|---|
| Brussels/Paris-Kinshasa flight on Brussels Airlines or Air France, delay ≥ 3h | €600, both ways, unless extraordinary circumstances |
| Return Kinshasa → Europe on Air Congo, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways | Not covered by EC 261 (non-EU carriers) |
| Outbound to Kinshasa on these same carriers (single ticket departing the EU) | €600, covered as departing the EU |
| Missed connection in Addis Ababa or Nairobi, single ticket departing the EU | Claimable even if the delay comes from the 2nd flight |
Three conditions decide your eligibility
Yes, you may be entitled to up to €600 if your flight to or from Kinshasa meets these 3 conditions, provided no extraordinary circumstance applies.
1
The route
Departure from an EU airport, whatever the airline. Or arrival in the EU with an EU carrier.
2
The problem
Delay of 3 hours or more at arrival, cancellation notified less than 14 days before, denied boarding, or a missed connection on a single ticket.
3
The cause
The delay must be attributable to the airline. A genuinely extraordinary circumstance exempts it; a routine technical fault or a knock-on effect on the aircraft's rotation does not.
Key point: what counts is the delay recorded on arrival in Kinshasa, not at departure. On a long route like this one, the gap between the two can be significant.
Find your airline: coverage and amount
Kinshasa is connected to Europe mainly via Brussels, home to the largest Congolese diaspora, and via Paris. Find your airline and your direction of travel.
| Airline | Route and flights | Compensation | EC 261 coverage |
|---|
| Brussels Airlines Eligible | Brussels (BRU) ↔ Kinshasa (FIH): SN357 / SN358 | €600 | ✔ both directions, daily direct flight |
| Air France Eligible | Paris (CDG) ↔ Kinshasa (FIH): AF722 / AF754 | €600 | ✔ both directions, 4 flights/week |
| Air Congo Eligible | Brussels (BRU) → Kinshasa (FIH): ET099 | €600 | ✔ departing Brussels |
| Air Congo Not eligible | Kinshasa (FIH) → Brussels (BRU): ET098 | none | ✘ return not covered |
| Ethiopian Airlines Eligible | Europe → Addis Ababa (ADD) → Kinshasa (FIH): ET841 | €600* | ✔ departing any EU airport, single ticket |
| Ethiopian Airlines Not eligible | Kinshasa (FIH) → Addis Ababa (ADD) → Europe: ET840 | none | ✘ return not covered |
| Kenya Airways Eligible | Europe → Nairobi (NBO) → Kinshasa (FIH): KQ554 | €600* | ✔ departing any EU airport, single ticket |
| Kenya Airways Not eligible | Kinshasa (FIH) → Nairobi (NBO) → Europe: KQ555 | none | ✘ return not covered |
This list of airlines and flights is not exhaustive and flight numbers can be changed by airlines at any time: always check your own flight number. The Brussels-Kinshasa and Paris-Kinshasa distances are well over the 3,500 km threshold, which places this route at the maximum tier of €600. *On a single ticket with a connection, compensation is calculated as the great-circle distance between the original departure airport and the final arrival, never leg by leg or on the layover (CJEU, Bossen ruling, 7 September 2017, C-559/16).
Good to know about Air Congo: the new Kinshasa-Brussels route, launched in July 2026, marks Congolese aviation's return to the European network after more than 25 years' absence. The flights are for now operated by Ethiopian Airlines on behalf of Air Congo (hence the ET code), as Congolese carriers cannot yet operate their own aircraft in European airspace.
What decides everything is the flag and the direction: an EU carrier (Brussels Airlines, Air France) is covered both ways. A non-EU carrier (Air Congo, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways) is only covered departing the European Union.
Large family? Compensation adds up per passenger
Compensation is due per passenger, never per booking. On a Europe-Kinshasa flight delayed more than 3 hours, a family of four represents €2,400, and a family of six €3,600. The price paid for each ticket does not factor in.
An infant on a parent's lap may also be covered. It depends on the exact ticket conditions and how the infant was booked: the deciding factor is not age but whether a ticket was issued and a fare was paid, even just taxes. Send us the ticket, we'll look at the precise conditions.
The process, from your flight number to money in your account
1
Flight number sent, free diagnosisWhatsApp or the online form. We check the airline, distance and direction of travel, with no obligation on your part.
2
Assignment of the claimElectronic signature in a few minutes. From then on it's our name on the claim, no longer yours.
3
We carry the caseFormal notice, follow-ups, and if the airline digs in, the commercial court with our partner lawyer.
4
Transfer as soon as it's paidThe airline pays, the money is sent straight back to you.
We carry the financial risk
Once the assignment is signed, the claim changes hands: the case is legally ours. Letters to the airline, follow-ups, proceedings before the commercial court if needed, everything goes through us. Lawyer, bailiff, procedural costs: Robin des Airs foots the bill, win or lose.
Nothing is asked before the outcome. With no amount recovered, no invoice ever reaches you.
The full details are on the
pricing page and in the terms and conditions, to read before signing.
What sets Robin des Airs apart on Kinshasa flights
✔ African connections hold no secrets for us (Addis Ababa, Nairobi), nor do the excuses airlines bring up to avoid paying on these routes.
✔ Your choice: WhatsApp or the form, in your language, with no paperwork and no account to create.
✔ The case goes all the way to court if necessary, partner lawyer included, with no upfront costs on your part.
✔ A first refusal stops nothing. Most rest on grounds that don't hold up once challenged under European case law.
✔ Old cases and large families welcome, up to five years back, with no limit on passengers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brussels Airlines covered both ways on Kinshasa?
Yes. Brussels Airlines is a Belgian carrier, so an EU one. EC 261 applies on Brussels to Kinshasa as well as on Kinshasa to Brussels. The distance is well over 3,500 km, which places this route at the maximum tier of €600 per passenger.
Are Kinshasa and Brazzaville the same thing for EC 261?
No, they are two separate capitals and two separate airports on either side of the Congo River. Kinshasa (FIH) is served mainly by Brussels Airlines and Air France; Brazzaville (BZV), the capital of the Republic of Congo, mainly by Air France. The compensation principle is the same, but the airlines and flights differ.
Is the new Air Congo flight to Brussels covered by EC 261?
It depends on the direction. Air Congo is a Congolese carrier, not an EU one: EC 261 only applies to it on flights departing the European Union. Brussels to Kinshasa may be covered, the Kinshasa to Brussels return is not with this airline.
My connection in Addis Ababa or Nairobi made me miss my flight to Kinshasa, am I covered?
It depends on where the ticket originated. If the journey started at an EU airport on a single ticket, the airline operating the connection remains responsible for the whole journey through to Kinshasa, even if the problem occurs on the stopover leg.
The airline refused my claim, can I still make a claim?
Yes. A refusal does not extinguish the claim. Many refusals rest on extraordinary circumstances that do not qualify as such under Court of Justice of the European Union case law. An already-refused case can still be reviewed.
Does travelling as a family to Kinshasa increase the amount?
Yes, compensation is due per passenger. A family of four represents up to €2,400, a family of six up to €3,600, regardless of the price paid for each ticket.
How far back can I claim for an old Kinshasa flight?
In France, the claim is time-barred after five years from the day the rights holder knew, or should have known, the facts allowing them to act (Article 2224 of the Civil Code). A 2022 flight therefore remains claimable until 2027.
Does a strike cancel my rights on this route?
Not automatically. An internal strike by the airline's own staff (Brussels Airlines, Air France...) is generally considered inherent to its operations and does not exempt it from compensation, unlike an air traffic controllers' strike. The exact cause of the delay must be verified.
Do I have anything to pay or advance?
No. Checking your flight is free and without obligation. No payment is requested upfront, and if nothing is recovered, nothing is charged.
Sources and references
CJEU, Folkerts ruling (C-11/11, 2013): the delay is assessed at the final destination on a single booking
CJEU, Bossen ruling (C-559/16, 2017): distance is calculated as the great-circle distance between the original departure airport and the final arrival
Article 2224 of the French Civil Code: 5-year limitation period before French courts
Was your flight to Kinshasa delayed or cancelled?
Just send us your flight number. We'll tell you in under a minute whether the case holds up, and how much it's worth for you and anyone travelling with you.
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