AJet Delay Compensation: What UK Passengers Can Claim
AJet flight from the UK delayed or cancelled? Find out when UK261 covers you, what happens on the return leg from Turkey, and how much you're owed.
AJet is Turkish Airlines' low cost arm, launched in 2024 to replace AnadoluJet. It flies UK passengers to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen and Ankara at budget fares, and it is increasingly the aircraft you end up on even when you thought you booked Turkish Airlines. Because AJet is a Turkish carrier rather than a UK or EU one, the direction of your flight changes your rights completely.
When UK261 covers you
- Departing a UK airport on AJet, such as Stansted, Gatwick or Luton to Istanbul or Ankara: always covered by UK261, because any flight leaving the UK is protected regardless of which country the airline is registered in
- Arriving in the UK from Turkey on AJet: not covered by UK261, because the airline is neither UK nor EU registered and the flight did not depart the UK
The return leg is not a dead end
Most guides stop at "not covered" for the inbound flight, which is misleading. Turkey has its own air passenger rights regulation, known as SHY-Yolcu, enforced by the Turkish civil aviation authority. It was modelled closely on EU261 and gives passengers departing Turkish airports comparable rights to care, rerouting and fixed compensation for long delays and cancellations. If your AJet flight home from Istanbul or Antalya was badly delayed, you claim under the Turkish rules rather than UK261, and it is worth pursuing rather than writing off.
Check whether AJet actually operated the flight
This is the most common trap on these routes. Many AJet services are sold under Turkish Airlines flight numbers, and passengers who booked what looked like a Turkish Airlines ticket end up flying AJet. Compensation is owed by the operating carrier, so check your boarding pass for the airline that actually flew the aircraft. Claiming against Turkish Airlines for a flight AJet operated is a straightforward way to get rejected on a technicality.
How much can you claim?
- £220 or €250 for flights under 1,500km delayed 3+ hours
- £350 or €400 for flights 1,500-3,500km delayed 3+ hours
- £520 or €600 for flights over 3,500km delayed 4+ hours
London to Istanbul is roughly 2,500km, so a delayed UK departure on AJet normally falls in the middle band at £350 per passenger.
A cheap ticket does not mean a smaller payout
Compensation under UK261 is a fixed amount set by distance and delay length. It has nothing to do with what you paid. A £45 AJet fare delayed by four hours out of Stansted is worth the same £350 as a full fare ticket on the same route, and it is common for the compensation to be many times the price of the flight. Airlines are not entitled to cap it at your ticket price.
Extraordinary circumstances
AJet can refuse to pay if the disruption was genuinely beyond its control, such as severe weather, air traffic control restrictions or a security incident. Technical faults, crew shortages and knock on delays from a late inbound aircraft are not valid exemptions, and the airline has to prove the reason it relies on.
How far back can you claim?
You have 6 years to bring a claim in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland, so earlier AJet and AnadoluJet departures from the UK may still qualify.
How to claim
Klaimly checks which airline operated your flight, works out which set of rules applies to your route and handles the AJet claim for a flat 5% fee, only if we win. No VAT, no minimum fee, and nothing to pay unless your claim succeeds.