‘Refund Passengers For Cancelled Tickets In 3 Weeks’: Centre To Airlines

After the suspension of flights, instead of refunding the ticket, the airlines kept the fare in a credit shell that a passenger could use later.

New Delhi| The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Thursday that Airlines will have to refund tickets booked during the COVID-19 lockdown within 3 weeks. The rule will apply to all domestic and international flight tickets booked during the first phase of the national lockdown, which began on March 25 and will continue till May 3.

The announcement by the Aviation Ministry said that refund should be free of cancellation charges.

“If a passenger has booked a ticket during the first lockdown period, the Airline shall refund the full amount collected without levy of a cancellation charge,” said DGCA in a circular.

If a passenger has booked a ticket during the first phase of lockdown period (25th March-14th April), the airline shall refund the full amount; refund to be made within a period of 3 weeks from date of request of cancellation: Ministry of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/SCOF43MmJN

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

Also Read: Issue Guidelines For Lockdown Without Violating Rights: NHRC To Centre

However, the cancellation is not automatic but the customers have to apply for it.

There were numerous bookings were made for a date after April 14 during the first lockdown period by those stranded at various locations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in its order said.

Complaints were made by people who booked their flight tickets after the airlines declined to refund the ticket amount.

Private airlines had said that they will not refund the tickets, however, they offer free rescheduling but will charge customers for the fare difference, if any, at the time of re-booking, as per the reports.

All the domestic and international airlines had stopped flying after the PM Narendra Modi declared 21-day lockdown from March 25.