Airline claims guide

Air India: claims, connections and passenger rights

Practical guidance for Air India passengers: official submission route, operating entity, hub connections and follow-up.

Air India: network and rights at a glance

Registered country: India
IATA code: AI
Alliance: Star Alliance
Hub airports: DEL (New Delhi), BOM (Mumbai)

Which rules can apply to Air India flights

Air India is not registered here as an EU or UK carrier.

EU261 and UK261 generally apply to its flights only when they depart from an airport in the EU/EEA/Switzerland or the UK.
Flights on this airline that arrive in the EU or UK from elsewhere are generally outside EU261/UK261, but other national or contractual rules may apply.
Check which airline operated each leg: a code-share ticket can combine carriers with different coverage.

This is orientation from the carrier's registration, not advice on a specific flight. Use the calculator for a preliminary check.

Where Air India takes claims

Official claim channel, as reviewed by us: www.airindia.com. Follow the published grievance sequence and retain the first case reference before escalation. Link last reviewed 2026-09-29.

Guides relevant to Air India

Route guides through DEL/BOM

Route guides are not specific to Air India: several airlines fly most of these routes, so confirm the operating carrier on your booking.

Alliance, group and hub facts last checked 4 October 2026 against Wikipedia: Air India, Star Alliance. These are not delay statistics: FlightRefundCalc does not publish punctuality or compensation-outcome figures for Air India.

Air India: how to prepare your claim

Air India cases often need both the international journey and the Indian connection, particularly through Delhi (DEL) or Mumbai (BOM). Keep the AI flight numbers, original arrival time and any domestic replacement. The portal now provides a specific EU/UK 261 claim category, so a compensation request does not need to be buried in general feedback.

Use EU/UK 261 Claim and retain the Case ID

Open the Customer Support Portal and choose EU/UK 261 Claim for that legal compensation request; Flight Disruption and Refunds are separate categories. Keep the Case ID and the email used to submit it, because the portal supports existing-case status checks. Air India's grievance process starts with Customer Support, then permits escalation to the Nodal Officer and Appellate Authority using the original case details.

Separate European departures from Indian departures

An Air India departure from an EU airport can fall under EU261; one from the UK can fall under UK261. A standalone Delhi- or Mumbai-origin Air India flight to Europe does not gain that coverage simply by landing there. Indian passenger-rights rules need their own assessment. For one-booking EU or UK outbound connections, show the Indian onward sector and eventual final arrival, not only the first landing in India.

An escalation needs a specific unanswered issue

If a refusal describes only a domestic segment, explain where the through-journey began and attach the complete ticket. If it offers a fare refund, ask whether the separate compensation demand was decided. A Nodal or Appellate referral should include the prior response and what you dispute, not restart the story without its Case ID. No general Air India compensation settlement time is verified here; follow the case updates and published escalation sequence.

Official claim routes and sources

Editorial review: 29 September 2026. Journey examples explain the assessment; they do not confirm a current flight schedule. Case-check questions are not statistics about claim refusals.

Prepare your claim letter

Feroz Sheikh · Founder and editor, Doha, QatarReviewed 4 October 2026 · Not legal advice · Not a named lawyer review

About the editor

Preliminary guidance, not legal advice or a compensation guarantee. Check your booking and official sources.

Check your flight