HiSky

HiSky: one airline, two passports — and that decides your claim

HiSky is the diaspora airline of Moldova and Romania, connecting Chișinău and Bucharest to Western Europe — London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Dublin — and even across the Atlantic to New York. But it has a split personality that quietly decides your EU 261 rights. HiSky is really two airlines:

• HiSky Europe — a Romanian company with a Romanian (EU) Air Operator Certificate, based in Bucharest. An EU carrier (flight code H4).
• HiSky (Moldova) — the original Moldovan company with a Moldovan AOC, based in Chișinău. Moldova isn’t in the EU, so this is a non-EU carrier (flight code H7).

Why it matters: EU 261/2004 covers every flight that departs an EU airport — so all Bucharest departures are always covered, whichever entity flies them. But a flight departing Chișinău (non-EU) is covered only if an EU carrier operated it — that is, only if it was HiSky Europe. So your Chișinău → Frankfurt claim can hinge on a single line on your boarding pass: who operated the flight.

What your HiSky claim is worth

EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of your route:

Most of HiSky’s network is short or medium-haul to Western Europe, so it’s €250 or €400 — with the long-haul Bucharest → New York route (over 3,500 km, departing the EU) as the lone €600 case. Pick a route:

(Watch the line on the Chișinău routes: Milan at ~1,440 km is €250, while Frankfurt at ~1,690 km is €400 — and either is only claimable if HiSky Europe operated it.)

Delays, cancellations and overbooking

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within HiSky’s control and you’re owed €250, €400, or €600 by distance — provided the flight is covered (always for EU departures; for Chișinău, only on the EU entity). 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, plus rerouting or a refund.
• Care, always. Meals, calls, and a hotel if you’re kept overnight — owed regardless of the cause, even when compensation doesn’t apply.

Real example. A Bucharest → London flight is delayed 4 hours by a technical fault. EU departure, over 1,500 km → €400 per passenger; always covered, whichever entity operated it. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. A Chișinău → Frankfurt flight, operated by HiSky Europe (the Romanian EU carrier), is delayed 4 hours. An EU carrier flying into the EU → covered → €400. The same flight operated by HiSky Moldova would be outside EU 261 — so the operating carrier is the whole question. Check a cancelled flight →

How to claim from HiSky yourself

1. Identify the operating entity — check your booking and boarding pass. Code H4 / HiSky Europe is the Romanian (EU) carrier; H7 / HiSky is the Moldovan one. For a Chișinău departure, this decides whether you’re covered.
2. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, the stated reason, and any receipts.
3. Confirm it qualifies — it departed an EU airport (always covered) or departed Chișinău on HiSky Europe; you arrived 3+ hours late (or it was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or you were denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
4. Work out the amount — €250 under 1,500 km, €400 above it, €600 for Bucharest → New York.
5. Submit HiSky’s claim form. File via HiSky’s suggestions-and-complaints page, stating you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with the flight details and the arrival delay. For a Bucharest departure, escalate to Romania’s AACR if refused — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real HiSky scenarios

• EU departure, always covered. Bucharest → London 4 hours late → €400, whichever entity operated it.
• Chișinău, EU entity. Chișinău → Frankfurt on HiSky Europe, 4 hours late → €400.
• Chișinău, Moldovan entity. The same flight on HiSky Moldova → not covered by EU 261.
• The long-haul. Bucharest → New York delayed 5 hours → €600 (departs the EU, over 3,500 km).

See real won cases and verdicts →.

HiSky at a glance

Founded in 2019 by Iulian Scorpan and flying since 2021, HiSky runs its dual-AOC structure on purpose — the Romanian (EU) certificate to operate within and from the EU, the Moldovan one for routes to Turkey, Israel and beyond. Nearly all the metal sits on the Romanian (EU) AOC, which is why most Chișinău–Western Europe flights end up covered. But the honest answer to “am I covered?” from Chișinău is: check who operated the flight.

Why hand your HiSky claim to Refundio

HiSky is the rare airline where your rights hinge on a corporate detail most passengers never notice — which of two AOCs flew the plane. Refundio identifies the operating entity, confirms whether EU 261 reaches your flight, buys the viable claims and pays you upfront, then takes HiSky on itself and escalates to Romania’s AACR if needed. No win, no fee.

Check your HiSky claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

Why does my HiSky coverage depend on which airport I left from?

Because HiSky is two airlines: HiSky Europe (Romanian, EU AOC, Bucharest) and HiSky Moldova (Moldovan, non-EU AOC, Chișinău). EU 261 covers every EU departure (so all Bucharest flights), but a Chișinău departure is covered only if the EU entity operated it.

My Chișinău to Frankfurt flight was delayed. Am I covered?

It depends who operated it. HiSky Europe (code H4, the Romanian EU carrier) → covered, €400. HiSky Moldova (code H7) → outside EU 261. Most Chișinău–Western Europe flights are flown by the EU entity, but check your boarding pass.

Is a Bucharest departure always covered?

Yes — Bucharest is in the EU, so every Bucharest departure is covered regardless of which entity operates, including the €600 route to New York.

How much does HiSky owe for a delayed flight?

Mostly €250 or €400 — under 1,500 km (Bucharest–Rome, Chișinău–Milan) is €250; over 1,500 km (London, Paris, Madrid) is €400. Bucharest–New York is the €600 exception.

How do I claim compensation from HiSky?

Use HiSky’s suggestions-and-complaints page, stating you’re claiming EU 261 compensation with your flight details and arrival delay. For a Bucharest departure, escalate to Romania’s AACR if refused. For Chișinău, first confirm HiSky Europe operated it — or hand it to Refundio.

Moldova isn’t in the EU — so are Chișinău flights worth claiming at all?

Often yes — most Chișinău–Western Europe flights are operated by the EU entity HiSky Europe, which brings them under EU 261, and any flight back from an EU airport is always covered. Only a Chișinău departure on the Moldovan entity is clearly uncovered. Worth checking, not assuming.