TAP Africa flight compensation: Luanda, Cape Verde and more
Short answer: TAP Air Portugal is an EU carrier, so EU Regulation 261/2004 covers every TAP flight leaving an EU airport for Africa and every TAP flight flying back into the EU from an African airport. Most of TAP's African routes from Lisbon — Luanda, Maputo, São Tomé and Accra — are over 3,500 km, so a three-hour-plus arrival delay, a short-notice cancellation or denied boarding is worth EUR 600 per passenger. The shorter West African hops (Cape Verde, Dakar, Bissau) sit under 3,500 km and pay EUR 400. TAP escapes only if it proves a genuine extraordinary circumstance.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Which TAP Africa flights EU261 covers
Two rules decide coverage. Any flight departing an EU airport is protected whatever the airline, so a Lisbon–Luanda or Porto–Praia service is in scope. And because TAP is a Portuguese (EU) carrier, EU261 also covers TAP flights arriving in the EU from a third country — so the Maputo–Lisbon or Luanda–Lisbon return is covered too, even though it takes off outside the EU. A non-EU airline flying the same inbound African–Lisbon leg would owe nothing, but TAP does.
Check who actually operated the flight. Some African connections are sold as codeshares with Star Alliance and other partners, and short European feeders can be flown by TAP Express. Under the Court of Justice ruling in Wirth (C-532/17), it is the operating carrier — the airline whose aircraft you flew on — that is liable, so read the "operated by" line on your ticket before you send a claim.
Distance sets the amount: EUR 400 or EUR 600
Compensation is a flat figure fixed by distance, not by your fare. For TAP's African network the dividing line is 3,500 km, and it splits the map neatly.
| TAP route from Lisbon | Approx. distance | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon–Maputo (Mozambique) | ~8,900 km | EUR 600 |
| Lisbon–Luanda (Angola) | ~6,400 km | EUR 600 |
| Lisbon–São Tomé | ~4,900 km | EUR 600 |
| Lisbon–Accra (Ghana) | ~4,600 km | EUR 600 |
| Lisbon–Bissau (Guinea-Bissau) | ~3,150 km | EUR 400 |
| Lisbon–Praia / Sal (Cape Verde) | ~2,900–3,000 km | EUR 400 |
| Lisbon–Dakar (Senegal) | ~2,900 km | EUR 400 |
So the headline EUR 600 applies to Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Ghana, while Cape Verde, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau fall just short of the threshold at EUR 400. Because several of these routes hover close to 3,500 km, it pays to measure the great-circle distance rather than guess — our flight compensation calculator does it for you, and the TAP EUR 600 long-haul guide covers the higher band in detail.
Connections through Lisbon: the final destination governs
Most African journeys on TAP run through a Lisbon connection — say Amsterdam–Lisbon–Luanda on one ticket. If a short European feeder runs late and you miss the wide-body to Africa, the compensation is fixed by the arrival delay at, and the total distance to, your final destination, not the segment that failed. The Court settled this in Folkerts (C-11/11): what counts is your arrival in Luanda and the whole Amsterdam-to-Luanda distance, which is comfortably over 3,500 km and therefore EUR 600.
Keep both legs on a single reservation — separate tickets break the chain and let TAP treat the flights as unrelated. Our missed-connection guide works through the Lisbon-stopover scenarios that produce most African claims.
Extraordinary circumstances, strikes and technical faults
TAP can refuse only by proving an extraordinary circumstance it could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures, and the bar is high. Severe weather, genuine air-traffic-control restrictions and political instability can qualify. Routine technical faults generally do not (Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07), nor does a random component failure found during maintenance (van der Lans, C-257/14).
Strikes matter a great deal on this network, because TAP is regularly hit by industrial action from its own SPAC pilots and SNPVAC cabin crew. In Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20) the Court held that a strike by an airline's own staff is part of normal operations and is not extraordinary — so a Luanda or Praia flight grounded by a TAP crew strike usually still owes compensation. A strike by third parties, such as air-traffic controllers or airport staff, is a different matter and may qualify. The TAP strike guide explains the distinction.
Refund, care and the 50% reduction
Alongside compensation you keep the Article 9 right to care once waiting passes the 2, 3 and 4-hour thresholds — meals, refreshments, communication, and a hotel if you are stranded overnight. If the flight is cancelled you also choose between a full refund and rerouting.
One lawful reduction applies. Under Article 7(2), if TAP reroutes you on a route over 3,500 km and you still reach your African destination no more than four hours after the original schedule, it may halve the EUR 600 to EUR 300. Land four hours or more late and the full EUR 600 stands.
Claim with ClaimWinger
ClaimWinger runs TAP Africa claims on a no-win, no-fee basis: there is no upfront cost, and we charge a commission only if we actually recover your money. We confirm the operating carrier, measure the distance to your true final destination, test any extraordinary-circumstances defence and handle the back-and-forth with the airline. Start with your flight details on our delayed-flight page, or read the full TAP Air Portugal compensation hub first.
Time limits and UK departures
There is no single universal deadline: the period to bring a claim depends on the jurisdiction where you sue, and national limitation periods vary widely, so check the rules for your route early rather than assume you have unlimited time. A separate July 2026 EU reform proposing a nine-month claim window and a 30-day airline response deadline is a proposal, not yet in force.
If your journey to Africa departs a UK airport, UK261 applies instead of EU261, with sterling amounts of GBP 220 / 350 / 520. See UK261 vs EU261: which rules apply.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
How much is a delayed TAP flight to Luanda worth?
Lisbon–Luanda is roughly 6,400 km, so it sits in the over-3,500 km band. A three-hour-plus arrival delay, short-notice cancellation or denied boarding is worth EUR 600 per passenger, unless TAP proves a genuine extraordinary circumstance.
Why is my Cape Verde flight only EUR 400, not EUR 600?
Lisbon to Praia or Sal is under 3,500 km (around 2,900–3,000 km), which places it in the EUR 400 distance band. Dakar and Bissau fall the same side of the line. Only routes over 3,500 km — Luanda, Maputo, São Tomé, Accra — reach EUR 600.
Does EU261 cover a Luanda–Lisbon flight back to Europe?
Yes. Because TAP is an EU carrier, EU261 covers its flights arriving in the EU from a third country, so a Luanda–Lisbon or Maputo–Lisbon service that lands three or more hours late is covered even though it departs Africa.
My European feeder was late and I missed the Africa connection — can I still claim?
If both legs are on one booking, yes. Under Folkerts (C-11/11) the delay at your final African destination and the total distance to it govern, so a short feeder delay that costs you the Lisbon connection can support a EUR 600 claim.
The flight was operated by a partner airline — who do I claim from?
The operating carrier is liable (Wirth, C-532/17). If TAP Express or a Star Alliance codeshare partner actually flew the leg, claim against whoever operated the aircraft, shown by the "operated by" note on your ticket.
Sources
This guide reflects the legal position in 2026: the EU261 three-hour threshold and compensation of EUR 250/400/600 remain in force. The EU261 reform — including any revised delay thresholds, the nine-month claim window and the 30-day airline response deadline — is a proposal, not yet in force. This is general information, not legal advice; verify the position for your specific flight.