India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has revised air ticket refund norms to make them more passenger-friendly, allowing travellers to cancel or amend bookings without additional charges within 48 hours of purchase, subject to certain conditions.
The amended Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), issued on February 24, will come into effect from March 26.
Under the new rules, airlines must provide a 48-hour “look-in option” from the time of booking. During this window, passengers can cancel or modify tickets without paying extra charges, except for any fare difference applicable to the revised flight. However, the facility will not apply if the departure date is less than seven days from booking for domestic flights and less than 15 days for international flights, when tickets are booked directly through an airline’s website.
Beyond the 48-hour window, standard cancellation or amendment charges will apply.
In a significant relief to flyers, the regulator has also barred airlines from levying additional charges for correcting the name of the same passenger, provided the error is reported within 24 hours of booking and the ticket was purchased directly through the airline’s website.
For bookings made through travel agents or online portals, the DGCA clarified that the responsibility for processing refunds rests with the airlines, as agents act as their appointed representatives. Airlines have been directed to ensure that refunds are completed within 14 working days.
The revised norms also address ticket cancellations arising from medical emergencies. If a passenger or a family member listed on the same PNR is hospitalised during the travel period, airlines may offer either a refund or a credit shell. In other cases, refunds will be processed after an opinion on the passenger’s fitness to travel is received from an airline’s Aerospace Medicine specialist or a DGCA-empanelled specialist.
The changes come amid rising passenger complaints about delayed refunds. In December 2025 alone, scheduled airlines received 29,212 passenger-related complaints, with 7.5 per cent linked to refunds. The issue also drew attention during flight disruptions involving IndiGo in December 2025, following which the civil aviation ministry directed the airline to complete pending refunds within a specified timeline.
India remains one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, with domestic airlines carrying over 16.69 crore passengers in 2025, according to official data.
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