Press room: Robin des Airs, passenger rights on the Europe-Africa route

In brief

Robin des Airs is a compensation recovery service for air passengers, built on EU Regulation EC 261/2004 and the Montreal Convention. Its specialty: the Europe-Africa corridor, where tens of thousands of families suffer delays, cancellations and denied boarding every year without knowing that a quantified right exists, or that a deadline can extinguish it. The service checks eligibility for free, builds the file and takes it to the airline, with no upfront cost for the passenger.

Figures to quote

€250 / €400 / €600Fixed compensation per passenger depending on distance (Article 7 of EC 261/2004), no receipts required.

€600The tier that applies to almost every Europe ↔ Sub-Saharan Africa route (over 3,500 km): Dakar, Abidjan, Accra, Douala, Lagos, Kinshasa…

€2,400For a family of four on a Paris-Dakar flight delayed over 3 hours. Per passenger, no expense to prove.

2 yearsThe time-bar under the Montreal Convention, which neither a registered letter nor a follow-up email interrupts.

< 1 in 2Share of travellers who consider themselves well informed of their rights, per the European Commission's Eurobarometer.

€400, not €600The real amount for French overseas territories (Réunion, Antilles, Guyane, Mayotte): intra-EU flights, a common mistake.

41%Share of mishandled bags that go wrong during a connection, the leading cause. 74% are simply delayed deliveries (SITA Baggage IT Insights 2025, 2024 data).

~€1,800Montreal Convention's baggage compensation ceiling (1,519 SDR), provided the actual loss is proven.

Story angles

The money families leave on the table. On departure from a European airport, any flight delayed over three hours opens the right to compensation, regardless of the airline, including African carriers. Almost nobody claims it.

The deadline trap (a legal blind spot). The Montreal Convention's two-year limit is a hard time-bar, not a suspendable statute of limitations: only filing before a judge stops the clock. Families chase an airline for two years believing they are protecting their claim, while preserving nothing.

The flag asymmetry. On the same route, your rights change depending on the direction of travel and the airline's nationality. Flying out of Africa, only a European carrier triggers the EC 261 flat-rate compensation.

The overseas-territory myth. Many sites advertise €600 for Réunion or the Antilles. That's wrong: since these territories are part of the EU, compensation is capped at €400 regardless of distance.

The hidden risk of connections. Per SITA, 41% of mishandled bags go wrong during a connection, the leading cause, and 74% are simply delayed deliveries. For diaspora travellers connecting through Lisbon, Brussels or Amsterdam on their way to Africa, that's precisely the riskiest leg of the journey · and the Montreal Convention imposes short claim deadlines (7 days for damaged baggage, 21 for a delay) that few travellers know about.

Ready-to-use quotes

Attributable to Saint-Yves Kodjo, founder of Robin des Airs. Free to reuse.

"Departing a European airport, a flight delayed over three hours opens up to €600 per passenger, regardless of the airline. The issue isn't the law · it's that almost nobody claims it."Saint-Yves Kodjo, founder of Robin des Airs

"A family can chase an airline for two years thinking they're protecting their rights, and protect nothing at all. The Montreal Convention's deadline only stops the day a case is filed before a judge."Saint-Yves Kodjo, founder of Robin des Airs

"On flights to French overseas territories, many advertise €600. That's a mistake: since Réunion or the Antilles are part of the EU, the flight counts as intra-EU and compensation is capped at €400, even over 9,000 kilometres."Saint-Yves Kodjo, founder of Robin des Airs

Spokesperson

Saint-Yves Kodjo, founder of Robin des Airs.

Fifteen years in the air transport industry. He knows first-hand how airlines classify delays, cancellations and extraordinary circumstances. Available for interviews, quotes and background on passenger rights, in English and French.

Resources

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Press contact

Robin des Airs · Press room

Email: expert@robindesairs.eu

Phone: +33 7 56 86 36 30

Fast response to press enquiries. Interviews available by video call or phone.