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Beirut Paris flight cancelled or delayed: compensation by direction of travel and airline

What it is
Getting the fixed compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 when a flight between Paris and Beirut is cancelled, arrives more than 3 hours late or is overbooked.
What it costs
€400 per passenger owed by the airline. Claim, mediation and DGAC report are free; €50 legal aid contribution if you go to the tribunal judiciaire.
How long
Two months for the airline to reply before the DGAC, 60 days before mediation; 5 years to take legal action in France.
Can be done remotely : Yes The claim, mediation and DGAC report are done in writing or online, from France or from Lebanon.

The steps

  1. Keep the evidence

    Ticket, boarding pass, cancellation or delay message, meal and hotel receipts. Ask for a written statement at the desk.

    on the day

  2. Ask for care

    Meals, refreshments and a hotel if an overnight wait is needed. Otherwise pay and keep the receipts.

    while waiting

  3. Choose refund or rerouting

    On cancellation, or a delay of 5 hours or more. A refund is due within 7 days.

    at the airport

  4. Claim from the airline operating the flight

    In writing or with its form: €400 per passenger, plus any costs it did not cover.

    on your return

  5. Refer the case to the Médiation Tourisme et Voyage

    Free, online, if there is no reply within 60 days or a refusal. Air France, Transavia France and MEA are members.

    after 60 days

  6. Report the dispute to the DGAC

    Online, after 2 months without a satisfactory reply. The DGAC does not follow up individual cases.

    after 2 months

  7. Go to court

    Tribunal judiciaire, €50 legal aid contribution (except exemptions). Limitation period: 5 years in France.

    within 5 years

What it really costs

Claim to the airlinefree
Médiation Tourisme et Voyagefree
Report to the DGACfree
Legal aid contribution (proceedings before the tribunal judiciaire)€50
Compensation owed by the airline, Paris–Beirut (1,500 to 3,500 km)€400 per passenger
Reduced compensation (rerouting, arrival no more than 3 hours late)€200 per passenger
Observed totalFree up to mediation; €50 if you go to court

Amounts recorded on 23.10.2026.

What most often gets stuck

  • Beirut–Paris flight operated by a non-EU airline: no EU fixed compensation.
  • Claim sent to the airline that sold the ticket instead of the one operating the flight.
  • Airline relying on extraordinary circumstances (airport or airspace closure, security): it must prove them.
  • Cancellation announced more than 14 days before departure: refund or rerouting, no compensation.
  • Separate tickets: a missed connection gives no right on the second flight.
  • No evidence: boarding pass, delay statement or receipts lost.
  • Voucher accepted instead of a refund: only possible with your written agreement.

Beirut Paris flight cancelled, or arriving more than three hours late? Compensation is €400 per passenger if the airline operating the flight is European (Air France, Transavia). In the other direction, Paris–Beirut, every airline must pay, Middle East Airlines included. The airline can refuse only if it proves extraordinary circumstances. In France, you have five years to take legal action.

These rules come from EU Regulation No 261/2004. A revised version was published on 2 October 2026, but it only applies from 23 October 2027: for a flight disrupted today, the current rules apply.

The short answer

  • Departing from Paris (or any other EU airport): covered, whatever the airline.
  • Departing from Beirut: covered only if the airline operating the flight is European.
  • Amount: €400 per passenger, because Paris–Beirut is between 1,500 and 3,500 km. It can be cut to €200 if the airline reroutes you and you arrive no more than 3 hours late.
  • Cases covered: cancellation announced less than 14 days before departure, arrival more than 3 hours late, denied boarding.
  • Time limits: the airline has 2 months to reply before you go to the DGAC; in France, legal action is time-barred after 5 years.

Departing from Paris: every airline is covered

The regulation applies to all passengers departing from an EU airport, whatever the airline’s nationality (article 3). A Middle East Airlines flight from Paris to Beirut is therefore covered exactly like an Air France or Transavia flight.

Departing from Beirut: only with a European airline

For a flight leaving a non-EU country and landing in France, the regulation applies only if the “operating air carrier”, the airline actually flying the aircraft, is an EU airline. It also does not apply if the passenger has already received compensation and assistance in the country of departure.

  • Beirut–Paris operated by Air France or Transavia: covered.
  • Beirut–Paris operated by Middle East Airlines: no EU fixed compensation.

Look at the airline operating the flight, not the one that sold you the ticket. According to the trade press, the Air France Paris–Beirut flight is also sold under a Middle East Airlines number: in that case Air France operates the flight and is responsible for your rights.

Without the EU regulation, the 1999 Montreal Convention still applies; Lebanon acceded to it in 2005. It makes the airline liable for damage caused by delay, unless it proves it took all reasonable measures. This is not a flat rate: you must prove actual loss (expenses, lost income), up to a cap, and sue within two years. We found no published Lebanese text providing fixed compensation for passengers. Read the airline’s conditions of carriage too.

Who flies the route in October 2026

According to the trade press (late September and 23 October 2026):

  • Air France, a European airline: Paris-Charles de Gaulle–Beirut, flights resumed on 26 September 2026;
  • Transavia France, a European airline: Paris-Orly–Beirut, flights resumed on 25 September 2026;
  • Middle East Airlines, a Lebanese airline: Paris-Charles de Gaulle–Beirut, flights kept up while the other two were suspended.

This list changes often. Check which airline operates your flight on your ticket or boarding pass.

Cancellation, delay, denied boarding: what the airline owes you

Three separate rights add up: care, the choice between refund and rerouting, and fixed compensation.

  • Cancellation: you choose between a refund of the ticket (within 7 days) and rerouting. The €400 is due if the cancellation was announced less than 14 days before departure, unless the replacement flight leaves no more than 1 hour (notice under 7 days) or 2 hours (notice of 7 to 14 days) before the scheduled time and arrives less than 2 or 4 hours after.
  • Delay: from a 3-hour delay at departure, the airline must offer meals and refreshments, and a hotel if departure is pushed to the next day. From 5 hours, you can give up the flight and get a refund. If you reach your destination 3 hours late or more, the €400 is due.
  • Denied boarding (overbooking): if you turned up on time with valid documents and did not volunteer, you are entitled to compensation, a refund or rerouting, and care.
  • Care: meals, refreshments, a hotel and transport to it if an overnight wait is needed, two communications. If the airline does not arrange it, keep your receipts: it must repay expenses that were necessary, appropriate and reasonable.

Why €400 on Paris–Beirut

The amount depends on the great-circle distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km for a flight leaving the EU, €600 beyond. From Paris (Charles de Gaulle or Orly) to Beirut, the distance is about 3,190 km, by our own calculation from the airports’ coordinates. The flight is therefore in the €400 band, well clear of both thresholds.

If the airline reroutes you and you arrive no more than 3 hours after the scheduled time, it can halve the compensation to €200.

Extraordinary circumstances: airport closure, airspace, strikes, weather

The airline does not pay compensation if it proves that the cancellation or delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures. The regulation mentions political instability, weather conditions incompatible with the flight and security risks. The burden of proof is on the airline, not on you.

  • Airspace closure: the Court of Justice of the European Union has recognised it as an extraordinary circumstance (case C-12/11, 2013, volcanic ash cloud). But the airline still owes care (meals, hotel), even if the wait is long.
  • Runway or airport closure decided by the airport authority for a reason outside the airline’s control: extraordinary circumstance (case C-159/18, 2019).
  • Situation in the Middle East: in its FAQ of 5 March 2026, the European Commission writes that the situation in the region, including security risks, may possibly justify an exemption. It adds that this must be assessed flight by flight. We found no published ruling of the Court of Justice or of a French court on a closure of Beirut airport.
  • Strikes: a strike by the airline’s own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance (case C-28/20, 2021). An outside strike, for example by air traffic control, can be.
  • Technical problems: as a rule, they do not release the airline (case C-549/07, 2008).

Even in extraordinary circumstances, refund or rerouting and care are still owed. If the airline relies on an extraordinary circumstance, ask it in writing which one.

Connecting flights on a single booking

If all flights are on one booking, what counts is the delay on arrival at the final destination, and the distance between the point of departure and the final destination. A Beirut–Paris trip with a stopover therefore stays in the €400 band.

  • Departing from Paris with a stopover outside the EU (for example via Istanbul or Amman): the whole journey is covered, stopover included (case C-537/17, 2018). If the delay arises on the second flight, operated under a codeshare by a non-EU airline, you can claim from the European airline that operated the first flight (case C-502/18, 2019).
  • Departing from Beirut with a connection: according to the European Commission, only flights operated by EU airlines count towards compensation.
  • Separate tickets: each flight is treated on its own. A connection missed because the first flight was late gives no right on the second flight.

How to claim: airline, mediator, DGAC, court

  • 1. Claim from the airline that operated the flight, in writing, with your ticket, boarding pass and receipts. This is required before any other step.
  • 2. Refer the case to the Médiation Tourisme et Voyage (the French travel ombudsman) if the airline has not replied within 60 days or has refused. It is free. Air France, Transavia France and Middle East Airlines are among its members (list checked on 23 October 2026). You cannot use the mediator once court proceedings have started.
  • 3. Report the dispute to the DGAC, the French Civil Aviation Authority, on its website, after 2 months without a satisfactory reply from the airline. The DGAC can fine airlines, but it does not follow up individual cases and cannot force the airline to pay you.
  • 4. Go to court: in France, you have 5 years from the date of the incident, according to the DGAC and the Court of Cassation (17 May 2017). Since 1 March 2026, a €50 legal aid contribution is due to bring civil proceedings before the tribunal judiciaire (article 1635 bis Q of the French General Tax Code). It is paid online with an electronic tax stamp. Legal aid recipients and the order-for-payment procedure (injonction de payer) are exempt.

For a flight by a non-EU airline departing from Paris, you can also sue in the EU country of departure or arrival, according to the European Commission. Some companies offer to claim on your behalf for a commission: this is not required, and the steps above are free up to the court stage.

Revision of the regulation: what changes on 23 October 2027

Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 of 16 September 2026, published in the Official Journal of the EU on 2 October 2026, amends Regulation No 261/2004. It applies from 23 October 2027. For Paris–Beirut, it provides:

  • Same scope: departures from the EU on any airline; arrivals in the EU only with a European airline.
  • Same amounts and threshold: €400 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, from a delay of more than 3 hours on arrival. The 50% reduction will only apply to journeys over 3,500 km, so no longer to Paris–Beirut.
  • Nine months to claim from the airline, from the date of departure. The airline will have to reply within 30 days, and send you instructions for claiming within 96 hours of the end of the journey.
  • List of extraordinary circumstances annexed to the regulation: including war, airspace closure, unplanned airport closure, and strikes by air traffic control or the airport operator. A strike by the airline’s own staff is included only if its demands can be met solely by the public authorities.
  • Care spelled out: refreshments every two hours, a meal after three hours, hotel limited to three nights in extraordinary circumstances.

The text contains no transitional provision. Until 22 October 2027, the rules described above apply.

An airline has refused your claim on a new ground, or the route has changed? Report it.

Sources

Checked on 23.10.2026.