Your flight from Muscat is delayed, cancelled or overbooked — what does the airline owe you? This plain-English guide explains Oman’s Passenger Rights Protection Regulation (Decision 757/2024): meals and hotel, refunds, the OMR 108–260 compensation, force majeure, separate tickets, EU rules, what to ask at the desk and how to claim from the airline and then the CAA.
The departures board flips from “On time” to “Delayed”, then to a new time three hours later, and the gate agent has no answers. Or the airline texts you the night before: your flight to Dubai is cancelled. Most travellers in Oman just wait, rebook and pay for their own dinner — without knowing that Omani law gives them clear rights to food, a hotel, a refund and, in many cases, cash compensation.
This guide explains those rights in plain words. Since 2024, flight delay compensation in Oman and refunds for cancelled flights are set by the Civil Aviation Authority’s Passenger Rights Protection Regulation (Decision No. 757/2024). You will learn which flights it covers, what the airline owes after 2, 3 and 6 hours, when you can claim OMR 108, 173 or 260, what “force majeure” really means, what happens with denied boarding and separate tickets, what to ask at the desk, which documents to keep and how to claim — first from the airline, then from the CAA.
Checked on 31 October 2026 against the official CAA regulation (PDF) and the CAA passenger rights page. The English text is a translation; if it differs, the Arabic original prevails. This article is general information, not legal advice — rules can change, and the airline and the CAA decide each case. For anything that matters, read the official text or ask a lawyer.
Your rights at a glance
- 2 h
- Refreshments and drinks from the second hour of delay
- 3 h+
- A proper meal when the delay passes three hours
- 6 h+
- Hotel plus transport to and from the airport
- OMR 108–260
- Compensation by distance for late cancellations and 6 h+ delays
- 14 days
- Cancelled with less notice? Compensation may apply
- 2 years
- Time limit to lodge a claim for damages
Which rules protect you when you fly from Oman?
Oman’s regulation covers every flight departing an Omani airport, Omani or foreign airline, domestic flights such as Muscat–Salalah, and flights into Oman on Oman Air or SalamAir when the departure country’s rules did not already help you. Miles tickets are covered; free tickets not sold to the public are not. A foreign airline flying you into Oman follows the rules of the country you left.
| Your flight | Main rules | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Muscat → anywhere, any airline | Oman regulation 757/2024 | Care, refund, OMR 108–260 compensation |
| Abroad → Muscat on Oman Air or SalamAir | Oman regulation, unless the departure country’s rules already helped you | You cannot be paid twice for the same disruption |
| Abroad → Muscat on a foreign airline | Rules of the departure country | Plus the Montreal Convention where it applies |
| Europe → Muscat, any airline | EU261 (UK flights: the UK version) | €250–600 from a 3-hour arrival delay |
| Muscat ↔ Salalah or another domestic route | Oman regulation, domestic rules | Compensation is a share of the ticket price |
Behind the Omani rules sits the Montreal Convention 1999, which Oman joined in 2007: it makes airlines liable for proven costs caused by delay — a lost hotel night, for example — unless they took all reasonable measures, up to 6,303 Special Drawing Rights per passenger. EU261 covers flights leaving the EU with any airline, or arriving there on an EU airline; its reform, Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, was published in October 2026 but applies only from 23 October 2027 — until then the current rules on the EU passenger rights page still count.
Flight delay compensation in Oman: the six-hour rule
A delay brings two different things. Care — food, drinks, a hotel — starts early, counted from the scheduled departure time. Money starts only when the delay is more than six hours: then you can claim the cancellation compensation of OMR 108, 173 or 260 by distance. Exactly six hours does not count.
| Delay | Care you are owed | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| From the 2nd hour | Refreshments and drinks | None |
| More than 3 hours | An appropriate meal | None |
| More than 6 hours | Hotel accommodation and transport to and from the airport | OMR 108 / 173 / 260 by distance, unless force majeure |
| Under 6 hours with a proven loss | Care as above | Proven costs under the Montreal Convention |
If the airline skips the care it owes, it must pay extra: 10 SDR for no refreshments, 30 SDR for no meal and 100 SDR for no hotel and transport (SDR is an IMF unit, converted into rials at the day’s rate). Keep every receipt if you buy your own food or room.
“Technical problem” often means no cash. Oman’s force majeure list is wider than Europe’s. Besides weather, air traffic control and security, it includes many sudden technical faults found just before departure on a properly maintained aircraft, bird strikes and some strikes. In those cases the airline does not owe compensation — but it must still keep you informed and give you care, which it may limit to three nights.
Flight cancelled from Oman: refund, rebooking or compensation?
For a cancelled international flight the key number is 14 days. Told at least 14 days before departure, you choose an alternative flight or a refund, without compensation. Told less than 14 days before, the airline must explain your right to care, offer alternatives — and pay compensation by the air distance to your final destination.
| Air distance | Compensation | Example routes from MCT |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | OMR 108 | Dubai (≈ 350 km), Doha, Karachi |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | OMR 173 | Mumbai, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Kochi, Cairo, Istanbul |
| Over 3,500 km | OMR 260 | Bangkok, Frankfurt, London, Manila |
So a cancelled Muscat to Dubai flight falls in the lowest band, a flight to Turkey from our Muscat to Istanbul guide or to Egypt from our Muscat to Cairo guide falls in the middle one, and a Muscat to Bangkok flight sits in the top band. Distances close to a border line are calculated by the airline, so check its figure.
- No compensation if the alternative flight gets you to your final destination no more than 2 hours after your original arrival time.
- Half compensation may apply if the alternative arrives within 3 hours (flights up to 1,500 km), 4 hours (1,500–3,500 km) or 5 hours (over 3,500 km) of the original time.
- Refuse the alternative and you get back the unused part of the ticket plus extra fees such as seats, bags or insurance, and keep your compensation — but the airline no longer owes care.
- Payment is due within 14 business days of the airline accepting your claim — cash, bank transfer or voucher, as you choose.
- Connecting booking: if one leg is cancelled, the same rules apply.
Bumped from an overbooked flight: your denied boarding rights
Airlines must look for volunteers first, and some passengers may not be bumped at all: passengers with disabilities or special needs, first-degree relatives, unaccompanied minors and accompanying housemaids. If you are bumped against your will, the airline must give you your rights in writing, let you choose another flight on any airline (paying the fare difference) and upgrade you free if only a higher-class seat is left.
| What the airline offers | Compensation | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| A similar flight leaving within 2 hours | None | Care and support |
| A flight leaving 2 to 6 hours later | 50% of the ticket value for the unused sector | Care and support |
| A flight leaving more than 6 hours later | OMR 108 / 173 / 260, as for a cancellation | Care and support |
| You cancel; ticket fully unused | Full refund plus 100% of that value | — |
| You cancel; ticket partly used | Refund of the unused part plus 50% of the total ticket value | — |
Downgrades and surprise stopovers
A downgrade, say from business to economy, earns the fare difference plus 50% of it, or a refund plus 50% if you do not fly. An unannounced extra stopover earns 100 SDR per stop, and a stop added after ticketing lets you cancel with a full refund. Passengers with disabilities left without the promised assistance are owed 200% of the ticket value.
Force majeure: when the airline does not have to pay
No compensation is owed when the airline proves force majeure as listed in Annex 1 of the regulation; the CAA repeated this in April 2026. In October and November 2026, for example, SalamAir cancelled its Dammam and Riyadh flights for several weeks — until at least 8 November — citing regional security developments. Your right to information and care remains.
- On the list: war or unrest, fuel shortages, sabotage, security alerts, airport closures, bad weather, medical emergencies on board, bird strikes, hidden manufacturing defects, sudden technical faults, strikes such as air traffic control strikes, and air traffic restrictions.
- Not on the list: overbooking, commercial schedule changes and poor communication — these stay the airline’s responsibility.
- Ask for the reason in writing. “Operational reasons” on the board is not proof; the airline must show force majeure if it refuses your claim.
- Your own duties count too: the airline owes no compensation if you gave wrong contact details, checked in late or travelled without valid documents.
Missed connection on separate tickets: the costly trap
Many travellers build their own connections: a cheap flight to Dubai on one ticket, a long-haul flight on another. If the first is late and you miss the second, the second airline usually treats you as a no-show — the new ticket is your cost. Airlines protect missed connections only on one confirmed booking with enough connection time.
- Book connections on one ticket whenever possible; then the airline must get you to your final destination.
- On separate tickets, leave a long buffer — several hours, or a night in the hub city. A room near the airport in Dubai is often cheaper than a new long-haul ticket.
- Your claim is against the first airline only: if it was more than six hours late, you may claim compensation for its distance plus proven costs.
- Check the check-in and boarding cut-offs of your onward airline; at Muscat check-in usually closes 60 minutes before departure — our Muscat airport guide has the details.
At the airport desk: what to ask for and what to keep
- Ask for the reason and the new time in writing — an email, a printed notice or a text message from the airline. This decides whether compensation is possible.
- Ask for care when the clock reaches it: refreshments from the second hour, meal vouchers after three hours, a hotel and transport after six hours.
- Ask for alternatives: a seat on the next flight, on another airline, or a full refund if you no longer want to travel. Do not accept a voucher if you prefer cash — the choice is yours.
- Note names and times: who you spoke to, when meals or hotels were refused, and the real departure and arrival times.
- Going to a hotel? Collect your bags and ask whether the airline books the room or reimburses you.
Keep these for your claim
0 of 8 ready
How to claim: the airline first, then the CAA
The regulation sets a clear order. You must first complain in writing to the airline; only then can you take the case to the Civil Aviation Authority. You do not need a lawyer or a claims company to do this.
| Step | Who decides | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Written complaint to the airline | The airline | Reply within 15 working days; no reply counts as a rejection |
| 2. Payment if accepted | The airline | Within 14 business days of accepting your right |
| 3. Appeal to the CAA | Civil Aviation Authority | Decision within 60 working days; no decision counts as a rejection |
| 4. Unresolved complaint | Tajawob government platform | Per the platform |
| Overall deadline | — | Lodge your claim within 2 years of the (scheduled) arrival |
Use the official channel: Oman Air’s feedback and complaints form or SalamAir’s feedback and complaints page. Give the booking reference, flight and date, the times, the care you received, the amount you claim and the article you rely on (for example “Article 22 of Decision 757/2024”), with your evidence attached. If the airline refuses or stays silent, go to the CAA and then the government Tajawob platform. If an agency issued your ticket, refund requests usually go through that agency.
Claim it yourself first. Claims companies take a share of any payout, and for EU261 claims Oman Air’s own conditions ask you to claim directly and give it 28 days before a third party steps in. Write clearly, keep copies and keep to the deadlines — most cases do not need more than that.
Common situations at a glance
| Situation | Care | Refund or rebooking | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delayed 4 h, technical fault | Drinks, meal | Wait or rebook | Usually none |
| Delayed 7 h, late incoming aircraft | Drinks, meal, hotel | Wait or refund | Possibly, by distance |
| Cancelled 3 days before; arrive 1 h later | — | New flight | None |
| Cancelled 3 days before; you refuse | None | Refund plus fees | Yes, by distance |
| Cancelled 20 days before | None | New flight or refund | None |
| Bumped; next flight 4 h later | Yes | New flight | 50% of sector |
| Sandstorm closes the airport | Up to 3 nights | New flight or refund | None |
| Missed onward flight, separate ticket | First airline only | At your cost | Only if 6 h+ late |
How SKY LINE TRAVEL helps when a flight goes wrong
- Rebooking options: we check what the same airline and other airlines still have, and explain the fare, baggage and change rules — for baggage details see our SalamAir vs Oman Air baggage guide.
- Refund and change requests: for tickets we issued, we send your request to the airline and follow it up. Approval, amounts and timing are decided by the airline.
- Help with paperwork: which documents to keep and how to word a claim.
- One ticket, not two: we look for connections on one booking.
- Honest advice: we will not promise compensation, a refund date or that a rule applies before we see the facts.
Flight delays and cancellations in Oman: frequently asked questions
How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight in Oman?
Under Decision 757/2024, a delay of more than six hours entitles you to the same compensation as a cancellation: OMR 108 for flights up to 1,500 km, OMR 173 for 1,500–3,500 km and OMR 260 for longer flights — unless the delay was caused by force majeure.
Does the airline have to give me a hotel if my flight is delayed?
Yes, when the delay passes six hours from the scheduled departure time: hotel accommodation plus transport to and from the airport. Before that you are owed refreshments from the second hour and a meal after three hours.
My flight from Muscat was cancelled. Can I get a full refund?
Yes. If you do not accept the alternative flight, you can cancel and get back the value of the unused sector, including extra fees such as seat selection, baggage or insurance bought with the booking. If the cancellation came less than 14 days before departure, compensation may be due on top.
Is a technical problem force majeure in Oman?
Often, yes. Oman’s Annex 1 lists sudden technical faults on a properly maintained aircraft, bird strikes, weather, air traffic restrictions and security events as force majeure. The airline must prove it, and care obligations still apply.
Does EU261 apply to flights from Muscat?
Not to flights departing Muscat, which fall under Oman’s regulation. EU261 covers flights leaving the EU, so your return from Europe may be covered.
How long does the airline have to answer my complaint?
Fifteen working days; silence counts as a rejection and you can go to the CAA, which has sixty working days.
How long do I have to claim?
Two years from the arrival date, or the date the flight should have arrived. Claim early while the evidence is fresh.
Can SKY LINE TRAVEL claim compensation for me?
For tickets we issued, we can pass your rebooking and refund requests to the airline and help you prepare a compensation claim, but the airline and the CAA decide the outcome and timing. Message us on WhatsApp +968 7411 6797 or through our contact page.
General information based on the rules published on 31 October 2026, not legal advice. Always check the current CAA rules and your airline’s conditions of carriage.
