European Air Charter: Compensation for Delayed & Cancelled Flights

Q: My boarding pass said 'operated by European Air Charter' — do I claim from them?

Usually no — and this surprises people. European Air Charter is a Bulgarian airline that wet-leases its aircraft and crew to other airlines (Condor, Marabu, SunExpress and others). Under EU 261 and the EU Court of Justice ruling in Wirth v Thomson Airways (C-532/17), the airline you BOOKED with — the one that planned the flight, set the route and sold the ticket — is the 'operating carrier' and the one liable for compensation, even though European Air Charter physically supplied the plane and crew. So if you booked Condor and flew a European Air Charter A320, you claim from Condor.

Q: When is European Air Charter itself the one I claim from?

When it ran the flight as its own contract. If a tour operator chartered European Air Charter directly — and European Air Charter planned and operated the flight under its own arrangement rather than wet-leasing to another airline — then European Air Charter is the operating carrier and your EU 261 claim is against it. The test is who planned and sold the flight, not whose aircraft you sat in.

Q: Is the flight covered by EU 261 at all?

Yes. European Air Charter is a Bulgarian carrier, and Bulgaria is in the EU — so it's an EU airline, and charter and package flights are fully covered by EU 261, exactly like scheduled flights. Whether you claim from the airline you booked or from European Air Charter, the flight itself is covered; the only question is who the right defendant is.

Q: How much is the compensation?

€250 or €400 per passenger, depending on distance — the amount is the same whoever pays it. The leisure routes European Air Charter flies are short and medium-haul: under 1,500 km (Munich to Palma) is €250; over 1,500 km, including the Greek islands, Egypt and the Canaries, is €400. Note that even the longer intra-EU routes like the Canary Islands are capped at €400, because both ends are in the EU. There's no €600 in this network.

Q: How do I claim — and from whom?

First identify who you booked with. If it was Condor, Marabu, SunExpress or another airline, file your EU 261 claim with THAT airline's customer-relations channel. If a tour operator chartered European Air Charter directly and it ran the flight, claim from European Air Charter via its contact page. State you're claiming under EU 261/2004 with your flight details and arrival delay. If refused, escalate to the relevant national enforcement body — or hand the claim to Refundio and be paid upfront.

Q: Is this the German or the Bulgarian European Air Charter?

The Bulgarian one. European Air Charter (formerly Bulgarian Air Charter, IATA code H6) is a Sofia-based airline flying Airbus A320s on charter and wet-lease work across Europe. It should not be confused with the long-defunct British 'European Aviation Air Charter,' which stopped flying in 2008. The Bulgarian carrier is an EU airline, fully within the scope of EU 261.

European Air Charter: the plane you flew, not the airline you claim from

European Air Charter is a Bulgarian airline most of its passengers have never knowingly booked. Formerly Bulgarian Air Charter, it flies a fleet of Airbus A320s from Sofia on wet-lease (ACMI) work — supplying aircraft and crew to bigger airlines like Condor, Marabu and SunExpress, and running charter series for tour operators. So you book a holiday with Condor, board the plane, and the safety card says European Air Charter.

That sets up the single most important question on your claim — and the instinct most people get wrong. Seeing “operated by European Air Charter,” travellers assume they must chase a small Bulgarian airline. Usually, they shouldn’t. Under EU 261/2004 and the EU Court of Justice’s ruling in Wirth v Thomson Airways (C-532/17), in a wet-lease the airline that planned the flight, set the route and sold you the ticket is the “operating carrier” — and that’s the airline that pays, not the one that merely supplied the plane and crew. So if you booked Condor, you claim from Condor.

Operated by European Air Charter — who pays your claim?

Claim the airline you booked

Booked Condor, flew an EAC A320

Claim Condor — it planned and sold the flight, so under EU law it's the operating carrier liable for EU 261.

Booked Marabu or SunExpress

Claim that airline — the same wet-lease rule applies. Both are reachable via their own claims channels.

Booked a tour-operator package

Claim the airline named as the carrier on your confirmation.

Don't default to European Air Charter

Sending the claim straight to EAC

Usually wrong on a wet-lease flight — EAC supplied only the aircraft and crew, not the contract with you.

Unless EAC ran its OWN charter

If a tour operator chartered EAC directly and EAC set the schedule, then EAC is the operating carrier — and you claim EAC.

The rule (Wirth v Thomson, C-532/17): in a wet-lease, the airline that planned and sold the flight is the 'operating carrier' liable under EU 261 — not the airline that physically supplied the plane and crew. European Air Charter is your defendant only when it ran the flight as its own charter. Either way, the flight is covered and the amount is the same.

What the claim is worth — the same amount, whoever pays

EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of your route. European Air Charter flies short and medium-haul leisure routes, so two bands cover everything:

Flight distance	Compensation per passenger
Up to 1,500 km	€250
Over 1,500 km (intra-EU, or up to 3,500 km)	€400

The short hops are €250; the Greek islands, Egypt and the Canaries are €400 — and even the longer Canary Islands routes are capped at €400, because both ends are in the EU. There’s no €600 in this network. The amount is identical whether you claim the contracting airline or European Air Charter:

EUROPEAN AIR CHARTER ROUTE CALCULATOR

What is your flight worth?

These are typical wet-lease leisure routes. The amount is the same whoever pays — usually the airline you booked. Every route is €250 or €400; the 1,500 km line decides which.

MUC → PMI

Munich → Palma

Great-circle distance: ~1,090 km

Up to 1,500 km · €250 band

YOU MAY BE OWED

€250

PER PERSON · TAX-FREE

Check my actual flight →

(The Canary Islands routes are the longest here at ~3,300 km, but they’re €400, not €600 — both ends are in the EU, so the intra-EU cap applies.)

Real example. You booked Condor for Munich → Heraklion; the boarding pass said “operated by European Air Charter”; it arrived 3.5 hours late after a technical fault. Over 1,500 km → €400 per passenger — but the claim goes to Condor, the airline that planned and sold the flight. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. A tour operator chartered European Air Charter directly for a Burgas → Düsseldorf series, and it was cancelled the day before with no rerouting. Here European Air Charter ran the flight as its own → €400 per passenger, claimed from European Air Charter, plus a refund and care. Check a cancelled flight →

Delays, cancellations and overbooking

Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within the operating carrier’s control and you’re owed €250 or €400. Measured at arrival.
Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary — the compensation on top.
Denied boarding. Bumped from an oversold flight? Compensation immediately.
Charter is covered. EU 261 applies to charter and package flights exactly like scheduled ones — and your flight rights are separate from any package-travel rights against the tour operator.

How to claim yourself

Identify who you booked with — the airline named on your ticket (Condor, Marabu, SunExpress, etc.) is usually the operating carrier and the right defendant. If a tour operator chartered European Air Charter directly and it ran the flight, the defendant is European Air Charter.
Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes (showing “operated by”), flight number and date, the stated reason, and any receipts.
Confirm it qualifies — you arrived 3+ hours late (or it was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or you were denied boarding) and the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
Work out the amount — €250 under 1,500 km, €400 above it (Canaries capped). No €600.
File with the right carrier. Send the claim to the airline you booked, or — if European Air Charter ran its own charter — via European Air Charter’s contact page, stating you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with the flight details and the arrival delay. Escalate to the relevant national enforcement body if refused.

Real European Air Charter scenarios

Booked Condor, flew EAC. Munich → Heraklion 3.5 hours late → €400, claimed from Condor.
EAC’s own charter. A tour-operator Burgas → Düsseldorf series cancelled → €400, claimed from European Air Charter.
The Canary Islands cap. Munich → Tenerife 5 hours late → €400, not €600 (both ends in the EU).
Short hop. Munich → Palma 3 hours late → €250.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

European Air Charter at a glance

Flying since 2000 and rebranded from Bulgarian Air Charter in 2021, European Air Charter is a Sofia-based EU carrier running an all-Airbus A320 fleet on charter and wet-lease work — much of it for Condor and other leisure airlines. (It’s not the defunct British “European Aviation Air Charter,” and the MD-80s it once flew are long retired.) Your flight is covered; the trick is knowing that the airline you booked is usually the one that pays.

Why hand your European Air Charter claim to Refundio

This is exactly the kind of claim that goes wrong on its own: passengers send it to the Bulgarian airline on the boarding pass, when the law points the claim at the Condor or Marabu ticket they actually bought. Refundio works out who the operating carrier really is, files against the right airline, buys your claim and pays you upfront, then takes it on and escalates if refused. No win, no fee.

Check your claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

My boarding pass said ‘operated by European Air Charter’ — do I claim from them?

Usually no. European Air Charter wet-leases its aircraft and crew to airlines like Condor, Marabu and SunExpress. Under Wirth v Thomson (C-532/17), the airline you booked — which planned and sold the flight — is the operating carrier liable for EU 261. So if you booked Condor, claim from Condor.

When is European Air Charter itself the one I claim from?

When it ran the flight as its own contract — for example a tour-operator series it planned and operated, rather than wet-leasing to another airline. The test is who planned and sold the flight, not whose plane you sat in.

Is the flight covered by EU 261 at all?

Yes — European Air Charter is a Bulgarian (EU) carrier, and charter and package flights are fully covered. The only question is who the right defendant is.

How much is the compensation?

€250 or €400 per passenger — the same whoever pays. Under 1,500 km is €250; over 1,500 km, including the Greek islands, Egypt and the Canaries, is €400 (the Canaries capped despite the distance). No €600.

How do I claim — and from whom?

Identify who you booked with. If it was Condor, Marabu or SunExpress, claim from that airline. If a tour operator chartered European Air Charter directly and it ran the flight, claim from European Air Charter via its contact page. Escalate to the relevant national enforcement body if refused — or hand it to Refundio.

Is this the German or the Bulgarian European Air Charter?

The Bulgarian one (formerly Bulgarian Air Charter, IATA H6), a Sofia-based A320 charter and wet-lease carrier. It’s not the defunct British “European Aviation Air Charter,” which stopped flying in 2008.

European Air Charter