Qatar — Civil Aviation Authority passenger rights framework

The clocks it starts

• Two years for a Montreal Convention claim (Art. 35)This is the limitation period for the Convention claim for proven delay damages on international carriage, not for any national compensation scheme, which may have its own. It is fatal to the Convention claim specifically, and correspondence does not suspend it.Montreal Convention 1999, Art. 35(1) — Art. 35(1)Limitation period

What it entitles you to, beyond money

• Check whether a stronger regime reaches your flight before you use this oneGulf carriers fly enormous long-haul networks, and the regime that pays is very often not the one where the airline is based. A flight departing an EU or UK airport engages Regulation 261/2004 or its UK equivalent against any carrier, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, and pays EUR or GBP 250 to 600. A flight departing Brazil engages ANAC Resolution 400. A flight into the United States engages the DOT rules on denied boarding and refunds. The local Gulf complaints route is worth using when nothing else reaches the flight, and it is the wrong first choice when something does. Work out which regimes touch your itinerary before you spend a month on the weakest one.
• Montreal Convention damages for delay (international carriage)On international carriage between States Parties, Art. 19 of the Montreal Convention makes the carrier liable for the damage the delay actually caused you — the unused hotel night, the missed onward booking, the extra meals and transport — unless it proves it took all measures that could reasonably be required. It is capped at 6,303 SDR per passenger (the figure ICAO set with effect from 28 December 2024) and it requires receipts, not a formula. This claim exists independently of any national scheme, and airlines never mention it. The right is extinguished two years after arrival under Art. 35.Art. 19, Art. 22(1)

Where to take it next

1. 01Written claim to the airlineComplain to the carrier in writing, quoting its own conditions of carriage on delay and cancellation and your itemised loss.Claim direct·typically 30 days
2. 02Qatar Civil Aviation AuthorityThe QCAA takes passenger complaints about carriers operating to, from and within Qatar.Regulator·typically 90 days·official page
3. 03Ministry of Commerce and Industry — Consumer Protection DepartmentThe consumer protection route under Law No. 8 of 2008, for a service supplied in Qatar.Regulator·typically 90 days·official page
4. 04Civil court claimBinding on themAvailable where the carrier refuses and the loss justifies it.Small claims·typically 180 days