EU261 · UK261 · Airlines

Gulf to Europe: which airline rules apply, carrier by carrier

Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 4 October 2026 · 4 min read

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

Short answer

Coverage follows the operating carrier’s type and the direction of the flight. Gulf airlines are not EU or UK carriers, so their flights from the Gulf into Europe are generally outside EU261 and UK261, while flights leaving Europe are covered. EU carriers add coverage on arrivals into the EU and, under UK261, into the UK. UK carriers add UK261 coverage on arrivals into both the UK and the EU.

Carrier-by-carrier table

The table is generated from the same airline registry that powers the airline pages and the calculator, so it matches them. “Usually not covered” means the regulation generally does not reach that flight; other rules or the airline’s own conditions may still help.

Which regime can apply, by operating carrier and direction (orientation only)
Operating airline	Registry type	Gulf → EU airport	Gulf → UK airport	EU airport → Gulf	UK airport → Gulf
Qatar Airways	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Emirates	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Etihad Airways	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
flydubai	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Air Arabia	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Gulf Air	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Kuwait Airways	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Saudia	Not an EU/UK carrier	Usually not covered	Usually not covered	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Lufthansa	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
KLM	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Air France	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Austrian Airlines	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Finnair	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
TAP Air Portugal	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Iberia	EU carrier	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
British Airways	UK carrier	UK261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply
Virgin Atlantic	UK carrier	UK261 can apply	UK261 can apply	EU261 can apply	UK261 can apply

Flights from a Gulf airport to a non-EU, non-UK destination are outside both regimes. For flights that connect in Europe, the first departure and the whole itinerary matter; see the missed-connection guide.

Alliances and group companies do not change the rule

Airline alliances such as oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam let partners share lounges, mileage and code-share numbers. They do not change which regulation applies. Qatar Airways and British Airways are both oneworld members, but a Doha-to-London flight on Qatar Airways (a non-UK carrier) is treated differently from the same journey on British Airways (a UK carrier).

Group companies can matter in a different way: one brand can be flown by several legal entities. Check the entity shown on your booking, and use that airline’s claim channel.

Each airline page lists the carrier’s alliance and hub airports, the regimes that can apply to it, and the official claim channel we have reviewed.

Airline pages for the carriers above

Use these to jump to the carrier that operated your flight:

Qatar Airways · oneworld
Emirates
Etihad Airways
flydubai
Air Arabia
Gulf Air
Kuwait Airways
Saudia · SkyTeam
Lufthansa · Star Alliance
KLM · SkyTeam
Air France · SkyTeam
Austrian Airlines · Star Alliance
Finnair · oneworld
TAP Air Portugal · Star Alliance
Iberia · oneworld
British Airways · oneworld
Virgin Atlantic · SkyTeam

Frequently asked questions

Why does the direction of travel matter so much?

EU261 and UK261 look first at where the flight departed from. Departures from EU or UK airports are covered on any airline; flights arriving from outside are covered only when the right type of carrier operates them.

Is Turkish Airlines an EU carrier?

No. It is not registered as an EU carrier here, so it follows the non-EU pattern: covered on departures from EU/UK airports, generally not on arrivals into them. See the Turkey flight-rights page for local rules.

Does a code-share ticket change this?

The operating carrier is what counts, not the airline that sold the ticket. Check the “operated by” line on your booking.

Does oneworld or SkyTeam membership give extra rights?

No. Alliances share services and miles, but they do not change which passenger-rights regulation applies.

Related guides and tools

Official sources

Educational information, not legal advice. FlightRefundCalc is not a law firm or claims company, and nothing here guarantees compensation.