SunExpress - 3+ hour delay because of their systems being down, but SunExpress claiming it wasn’t

vitaminz

We were booked on SunExpress XQ584 from Antalya to Bristol on 15 August 2026. I was actually meant to be on the XQ584 the prior day but I spent 45 minutes queueing up to checkin to be told the check in is already closed...but that's mainly my fault!

Anyway, while waiting to be board we noticed a lack of any SunExpress staff near the gate. Time went on and our departure time came and went, and in the end we heard that SunExpress's systems are down. The gate next to us was for other airlines and they were boarding and taking over as normal. Eventutally after over 3 hours, we boarded and had a bit of a wait to take off due to SunExpress having to coordinate certain things. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Bristol at 09:35 but actually arrived at 12:41, so the arrival delay was 186 minutes (3 hours 6 minutes). I heard some people on the plane mentioning they were glad it was over 3 hours, and I later discovered the compensation policy where you are entitled to €400 per passenger if the plane is over 3 hours late to arrive...

I logged a request to SunExpress regarding this, and they give me a vague response about it possibly not being there fault and advised me to contact the 'Directorate General Of Civil Aviation' in Turkey, which I did. I've now heard back from SHGM who have rejected my claim. It states that SunExpress has said:

"Our review showed that the delay was caused by an external technical disruption affecting operational systems, which was beyond the airline's control. As a result, flight preparation and passenger handling processes were disrupted."

SHGM has now closed the complaint and accepted SunExpress's explanation, saying the event was force majeure and therefore no compensation is payable. I have no idea how they have come to that conclusion, given that there is evidence that other airlines were operating fine at this time - it was just SunExpress. In fact, on the day SunExpress published an operational announcement that day saying: "Due to a technical issue affecting our systems earlier today, Check-in and boarding processes were temporarily disrupted."

I've gone back to SunExpress asking for full details on what the disruption was, and asked for evidence regarding this. But I don't expect to get anywhere to be honest, but I also don't really want to give up. Does anyone have any advice on how to proceed, or am I chasing something I likely won't get?

peteuk

Regardless of a delay, if known prior to departure or at the point of departure, you need to check in on time.

We were booked on SunExpress XQ584 from Antalya to Bristol on 15 August 2026. I was actually meant to be on the XQ584 the prior day but I spent 45 minutes queueing up to checkin to be told the check in is already closed...but that's mainly my fault!

Did you miss check in and they put you on the next flight or did they allow you to board the original flight as it was delayed?

Compensation is calculated on distance and time of delay on arrival on a EU carrier or departing from the EU. So 3000Km flight and 3 hour delay would normally allow for £260-£350 approx. per passenger. However only if the airline are at fault.

Like you I'm not sure this will help, as it seems the issue is outside the airlines control.

Edit - @Westin has noted the flight is to the UK by a non EU carrier - edit in bold above.

Westin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82149131#Comment_82149131

SunExpress is a Turkish airline. The OP’s flight originated in Antalya, Turkey and therefore EU261/UK261 does not apply. Instead the Turkish Directorate of Civil Aviation rules would apply. It seems the OP has already received a response from a complaint to them agreeing with the rejection and invalid claim.

I can’t see a compensation claim for this 3h6m delay going anywhere given the above.

If the OP missed there original flight and was transferred by XQ on to another flight (for free I assume as OP makes no mention of a charge) then perhaps gratitude and thanks to the airline rather than thoughts of a compo claim?

vitaminz

Sorry, I need to clarify. I missed the first flight completely and had to pay out of my own pocket for a flight the next morning, which was also with Sun Express. So it was a brand new ticket number etc

That’s the flight that was 3 hours delayed. My main problem is that the SHGM have dismissed my claim based on the delay being ‘force majeure’. Here’s the exact responses from both Sun Express and SHGM

Sun Express:

Thank you for contacting us regarding flight XQ584 from Antalya (AYT) to Bristol (BRS) on 15.08.2026. Following our investigation, we have determined that the flight was delayed by a total of 186 minutes. Our review showed that the delay was caused by an external technical disruption affecting operational systems, which was beyond the airline's control. As a result, flight preparation and passenger handling processes were disrupted, leading to the delayed operation of the flight. Your claim has been assessed in accordance with the applicable regulations. As the delay resulted from extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control, we regret to inform you that your compensation request cannot be approved. We appreciate your understanding regarding the delay and thank you for your patience. Kind regards, SunExpress

SHGM:

Passengers traveling by air through our country’s airports have certain rights, and the circumstances under which these rights apply are defined and regulated by SHY-PASSENGER, which was published in the Official Gazette dated December 3, 2011, No. 28131, and entered into force. In addition, Passenger Rights Circulars dated March 19, 2013, May 23, 2014, and September 2, 2015 were issued for air carriers and airport operators. Complaints regarding “denied boarding,” “flight delay or postponement,” “flight cancellation,” and “downgrading/upgrading of class” are examined within the scope of the regulation. Upon review of your application to our Directorate General, it has been determined that a delay occurred on flight XQ584 from Antalya (AYT) to Bristol (BRS) on August 15, 2026. The delay was caused by a connectivity issue at Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Equinix FR5 data center in Frankfurt, which disrupted access to the iFlyRES DCS system used in passenger processing and flight preparation. As this situation is considered force majeure, you are not entitled to compensation. Regarding service rights (accommodation, meals, transfers, etc.), invoices will be processed in accordance with Article e) of Section 2 of the Passenger Rights Implementation Principles Circular 2015: “If service rights are not provided due to force majeure under the regulation, the air carrier shall reimburse the passenger for reasonable food and accommodation expenses upon submission of invoices.” For applications resulting in a negative assessment, the final decision-making authority rests with the judicial bodies

They actually added the bit about AWS recently interestingly. Note the delays only affected Sun Express, no other airline in the airport had an issue

Westin

It seems clear that under Turkish laws, no compensation is due. Both the airline and the governing body have confirmed this to you.

flightcompensations

Before you drop it, the Turkish regulation defines force majeure and it is a closed list. SHY-PASSENGER gives it as political instability, meteorological conditions not suitable for the flight, natural disasters, security risks, unexpected flight safety deficiencies, and strikes. An airline's own check-in and boarding systems falling over is not any of those. The regulation also puts the burden on the operator to prove force majeure, not on you to disprove it.

So the question to put back to SHGM is not whether SunExpress was at fault. It is which of those listed grounds they decided this fell under. Put their own announcement next to their answer to you: the public notice said a technical issue affecting "our systems", the response to you called it "external". Those are two different claims and they made both.

One more thing worth pinning down while you are at 3h06. Ask in writing whether 12:41 is when the doors opened or when the aircraft was on stand. Arrival time is measured from the doors opening, and six minutes is not much margin if they recalculate it on something else later.