New ANAC rules for delayed and cancelled flights in Brazil

Starting Monday, October 26, 2026, new rules from ANAC (Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency) apply to delayed, cancelled and interrupted flights and to denied boarding. The changes are set out in ANAC Resolution No. 813/2026, published in Brazil’s Official Gazette on September 25, which amends Resolution No. 400/2016, the rule that sets out passengers’ rights and duties in air transport in Brazil.

For business travelers, and for the companies that organize their trips, the main change is practical: in some exceptional situations, the passenger may have to pay for meals, transport or a hotel and ask for a refund later. At ArrowTur, which has managed corporate travel since 1989, we have summarized what changes, what stays the same and what your team should know now.

What changes in passenger information

The airline must notify passengers of a delay, cancellation, interruption or denied boarding as soon as it becomes aware of it, including through digital channels, and keep that information up to date. At a minimum, the notice must include:

• the status of the flight and the updated departure estimate;
• the options for rebooking, refund or another mode of transport, when applicable;
• how to obtain material assistance (meals, transport and accommodation).

On digital channels, the information must show the date and time of the last update. In addition, before the purchase, passengers must be clearly told that flights may be delayed or cancelled due to operational factors and safety requirements.

Material assistance: what still applies

Material assistance is the support the airline must provide while the passenger waits. Under the new wording:

• Wait of more than 2 hours: adequate meals, through a credit, a meal or an equivalent solution.
• Wait of more than 4 hours: accommodation, when an overnight stay is needed, with round-trip transport between the airport and the accommodation.
• Passengers who live in the city of the departure airport: the airline may skip the accommodation, but must offer round-trip transport between the airport and their home.
• People with disabilities or reduced mobility and their companions: accommodation is due even without an overnight stay, unless suitable accommodation is provided with the passenger’s express agreement.

According to ANAC, these assistance obligations remain even in cases of unforeseeable events or force majeure. The rule also makes clear that providing assistance does not mean the airline admits fault for the delay.

What is removed from the rule

The specific obligation to offer means of communication, such as phone and internet access, after one hour of waiting is no longer part of the regulation. In practice, contact with passengers now relies on notices through the airline’s digital channels.

When the passenger pays and is reimbursed

This is the change that most affects day-to-day travel. When airport infrastructure limitations, a proven lack of local suppliers or unforeseeable emergencies prevent assistance from being provided in the usual way, the airline may offer, as an alternative, reimbursement of necessary, reasonable and documented expenses for meals, transport and accommodation.

The deadline for this reimbursement is up to 7 days from the submission of the receipts. Keeping invoices and receipts is therefore no longer a detail: without them, getting the refund becomes difficult.

The rule also provides that, in exceptional situations that affect service on a widespread basis, ANAC may set specific conditions for providing material assistance for a limited period.

Assistance is not compensation

The resolution also clarifies that liability for damages caused by delays, cancellations, interruptions or denied boarding follows the laws and treaties in force, and that unforeseeable events or force majeure exclude this liability, under the Brazilian Aeronautical Code. In other words, assistance at the time of the problem remains mandatory, but any claim for compensation is assessed separately. Procon-SP, the São Paulo consumer protection agency, has criticized this point and recommends that passengers who do not get a solution from the airline contact a consumer protection agency and ANAC.

What your company should do now

• Update travelers’ contact details in bookings. Since notices now arrive through digital channels, a correct mobile number and e-mail in the booking make a difference.
• Tell your team to keep all receipts for meals, transport and hotels during a delay, and to ask the airline for assistance at the airport first.
• Review your travel policy. Define how travelers pay for an emergency expense (corporate card or cash advance) and how it is handled in the expense report until the airline’s refund arrives.
• Decide who follows up. Someone needs to chase the airline’s refund within the deadline and record what the company paid.

Delayed or cancelled flights with ArrowTur

When a flight is delayed or cancelled, our team follows the situation, looks for the best rebooking option and guides the traveler on the assistance they are entitled to, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Brasília time), with emergency support outside these hours. For your company, this means less time lost and more control over the costs of the unexpected.

Learn about our corporate travel management, talk to our sales team on WhatsApp or by phone at +55 11 5189-4120, or use our contact page.

Official sources (in Portuguese): ANAC Resolution No. 813/2026 and ANAC announcement.

Read also: Travel expense reimbursement: how to organize expense reports.

Frequently asked questions

When do the new rules take effect?

ANAC Resolution No. 813/2026 takes effect on October 26, 2026. Until October 25, the previous rules of Resolution No. 400/2016 apply.

How long does the airline have to reimburse expenses?

When the airline uses reimbursement as an alternative to assistance, the deadline is up to 7 days from the submission of receipts for necessary and reasonable expenses.

Do airlines still have to provide meals and a hotel?

Yes. Meals after 2 hours of waiting, and accommodation with transport after 4 hours when an overnight stay is needed. Reimbursement only replaces this assistance in the exceptional situations set out in the rule.