In short: the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority's Passenger Welfare Program regulation (CAR-PWP, Issue 02, applicable from 1 January 2025) applies to airlines flying to and from UAE airports. It requires information for delays of 1–3 hours, meals, refreshments and communication for 3–8 hours, and a hotel and transport beyond 8 hours, plus rebooking or a return flight after cancellations – but no fixed cash compensation. Dubai's 2026 directive adds a complaint and mediation process. Flights from the UK to the UAE on any airline, and flights back on a UK or EU airline, are covered by UK261 or EU261.
The GCAA Passenger Welfare Program (CAR-PWP)
CAR-PWP is part of the UAE Civil Aviation Regulations, made under the Civil Aviation Law (Federal Act No 20 of 1991). Issue 01 was dated 26 January 2022 and applied from 1 November 2022; Issue 02, dated 25 December 2024, applies from 1 January 2025. Its stated aim is to give passengers a high level of protection through common rules on care and assistance in the event of denied boarding, cancellation, delay and diversion.
It applies to commercial air transport operators flying from and to UAE airports, to those diverting to UAE airports, and to UAE airport operators (PWP.A.003). Its guidance says it covers disruptions at UAE airports; disruptions at airports elsewhere are subject to local rules. Passengers travelling free or on non-public reduced fares are excluded. UAE airlines must run a documented welfare programme; foreign airlines must give the airport operator an equivalent programme and commit to activating it (PWP.D.001).
Delays in the terminal and on board
The thresholds are counted from the scheduled time of departure and apply regardless of the distance of the flight:
| Anticipated delay | In the terminal (PWP.B.003) | On board the aircraft (PWP.B.004) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 hours | Up-to-date flight information | Up-to-date flight information |
| 3 to 8 hours | Information; free meals and refreshments in line with the wait; means of communication; a hotel if you missed your connection and the next likely connection is more than 8 hours away | The opportunity to leave the aircraft (subject to local regulations); information; meals and refreshments; communication; a hotel if you missed your connection |
| More than 8 hours | Hotel (taking into account the distance to your home city and the time of day); meals and refreshments; communication; transport between airport and hotel | Disembarkation (subject to local regulations); hotel; meals and refreshments; communication; transport |
Compare EU261 and UK261, where care starts at 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on distance and a hotel is owed whenever an overnight stay becomes necessary (flight delay rights).
Cancellations, diversions and denied boarding
- Cancellation (PWP.B.006): you must be informed as early as practicable, offered care as appropriate, and carried with your baggage as soon as practicable on another flight with space, with your ticket's validity extended if necessary – or offered a return flight to your first point of departure or re-routing within a reasonable time on another airline, subject to availability, or by other agreed means. The duty applies to transit passengers and to passengers whose flight does not start in their home city. For these purposes you are eligible for welfare if the flight is cancelled within 48 hours of its scheduled departure.
- Diversion (PWP.B.005): care as for delays, and a return flight or re-routing to your final destination at no extra cost.
- Denied boarding (PWP.B.002): the airline should first call for volunteers; passengers denied boarding against their will get a return flight or re-routing, and care. No compensation amount is set.
Dubai's Aviation Consumer Welfare Directive (2026)
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority published the Aviation Consumer Welfare Directive (reference DCAA/DCAD/2026/00005) on 21 April 2026. It applies to Dubai's national airlines (including subsidiaries and codeshare partners) on flights to or from Dubai, to foreign airlines operating from Dubai's airports, and to licensed travel agents. It builds on CAR-PWP rather than replacing it. Key points:
- Choice after disruption (6.2): the next available flight with minimum delay; re-routing on another carrier where practicable and the airline has a commercial relationship with it; or a full refund or a voucher for the unused part of the ticket.
- Force majeure (2.1, 6.3): defined broadly – weather, airport or airspace closures and air traffic constraints, armed conflict, epidemics, strikes and labour unrest, and also manufacturing or other technical defects. In such cases the airline is not liable for compensation, and care may be limited to 72 hours unless the Authority extends it.
- Information (6.1): the total price, the operating carrier where it differs from the marketing carrier, connections, baggage allowance and fare restrictions must be shown at purchase.
- Complaints (9): see below.
The broad force majeure definition is the opposite of the UK and EU position, where technical faults are normally the airline's responsibility (technical faults).
Is there any compensation?
Neither CAR-PWP nor the Dubai directive sets a fixed cash amount for delay, cancellation or denied boarding. Claims for proven loss go through the general law: the UAE is a party to the Montreal Convention, which covers damage caused by delay and baggage problems on international journeys, and the Dubai directive also lists the Federal Commercial Transactions Law (Federal Decree by Law No 50 of 2022) among its legal references. We have not reviewed how UAE courts apply these to delays.
How UAE rules interact with UK261 and EU261
UK261 covers flights departing the UK on any airline and flights into the UK on UK or EU airlines; EU261 covers flights departing the EU and flights into the EU on EU airlines. A journey booked as one is assessed as a whole from its first departure point.
| Journey | UK261 / EU261 | UAE care rules |
|---|---|---|
| London–Dubai on Emirates | UK261: up to £520 | At Dubai only if the disruption happens there |
| Dubai–London on Emirates | No – non-UK/EU airline into the UK | Yes (departure from Dubai) |
| Dubai–London on British Airways or Virgin Atlantic | UK261 – UK airline into the UK | Yes |
| Manchester–Dubai–Bangkok on one Emirates booking | UK261 for the whole journey, including a delay on the Dubai–Bangkok leg | Yes for the disruption at Dubai |
| Bangkok–Dubai–Manchester on one Emirates booking | No | Yes for the disruption at Dubai |
| Abu Dhabi–Paris on Etihad | No | Yes |
| Dubai–Amsterdam on KLM | EU261 – EU airline into the EU | Yes |
The connecting-flight point comes from Gahan v Emirates ([2017] EWCA Civ 1530): for a single booking from the UK, the delay is measured at the final destination even when a non-EU airline flies the later leg outside Europe. So the direction of travel matters a great deal for Gulf connections: outbound from the UK you are protected by UK261 for the whole trip; inbound on a Gulf airline you rely on UAE care rules and the Montreal Convention. See missed connection compensation.
Where to complain
- The airline: under the Dubai directive, complain in writing to the airline (or licensed travel agent) at the earliest opportunity and within 60 calendar days of the incident. It must acknowledge within 5 business days and respond within 60 calendar days (extendable by 15 in complex cases).
- Dubai Civil Aviation Authority: if you disagree with the decision or get no response, appeal through the Authority's website within 14 calendar days. The Authority mediates only – it does not issue binding decisions or set compensation – and the appeal does not stop any limitation period running. Delays beyond the CAR-PWP thresholds, involuntary denied boarding, baggage, cancellations and failures to inform or assist are in scope; force majeure cases are not.
- Courts: mediation does not affect your right to go to court.
- For a UK261 or EU261 claim, use the European route: how to claim.
What we could not verify
- Effective date of the Dubai directive. The document is dated 21 April 2026 and says it takes effect on the date the Authority specifies, with a 90-day transition period; we did not find that date.
- GCAA complaints route. Secondary sources describe a GCAA consumer protection unit for escalating complaints about UAE airlines; we could not confirm its process on the GCAA website. Abu Dhabi and other emirates may have their own arrangements, which we have not checked.
- CAR-PWP's cover page says to check the GCAA website for the current version before use; Issue 02 was the latest we found.
Frequently asked questions
Do UAE airlines pay compensation for delays?
Not under the GCAA's Passenger Welfare Program, which sets care duties – information, meals, communication, hotels – but no fixed cash amounts. If your flight is covered by UK261 or EU261, for example any flight departing London or Paris, you can claim £220–£520 or €250–€600 under those rules instead.
Is a Dubai to London flight on Emirates covered by UK261?
No. UK261 covers flights into the UK only when a UK or EU airline operates them. London to Dubai on Emirates is covered, and so is a journey booked as one from London to Bangkok via Dubai, even if the delay happens on the Dubai–Bangkok leg (Gahan v Emirates, Court of Appeal, 2017).
When do I get a hotel for a delay in Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
Under CAR-PWP, airlines must provide hotel accommodation and transport when the anticipated delay is more than 8 hours from the scheduled departure time. Between 3 and 8 hours, you get meals, refreshments and communication, and a hotel only if you have missed your connection and the next likely connection is more than 8 hours away.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. We are an independent guide and an affiliate partner of AirHelp – see our affiliate disclosure.
Sources
- CAR-PWP – Passenger Welfare Program, Issue 02 – General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), UAE
- Aviation Consumer Welfare Directive of the Emirate of Dubai (DCAA/DCAD/2026/00005) – Dubai Civil Aviation Authority
- Gahan v Emirates [2017] EWCA Civ 1530 – The National Archives
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – UK version, Article 3 (scope) – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – Article 3 (scope) – EUR-Lex
- Montreal Convention 1999 – list of parties – ICAO
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