Air Ticket Refunds Get Easier with New DGCA Norms

Air passengers can avail a new benefit with the country’s aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revising ticket refund norms for airlines, along with a few other rules.

Passengers can now cancel or amend air tickets without paying additional charge within 48 hours of bookings subject to certain conditions. This option cannot be used for domestic flight bookings, when the flight departure date is less than 7 days and with respect to international bookings, the departure date should be not less than 15 days.

Making the changed norms passenger-friendly, the DGCA said that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correction of name, when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of the booking or when the ticket is booked directly through the airline’s website. As per the changed norms, airlines must complete the process of refunding within 14 working days.

The DGCA said that the changes have been made to reduce confusion and delays, which were flagged by passengers during the IndiGo flight disruption period in 2025.

In case of tickets purchased through travel agents or third-party portals, the airlines should take up the responsibility for the refund and complete it within 14 working days.

Besides, there are changes of norms related to ticket cancellations due to  medical emergencies of passengers, the details of which have not been mentioned yet.The change aims to give more flexibility to passengers if they are facing health issues and forced to cancel plans.

The amendments to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for ‘Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers of Public Transport Undertakings’ have been made due to increasing complaints from passengers about delay in receiving the refunds. The revised CAR was issued on February 24.