 "Will Indian flyers soon be able to cancel air tickets for free within 48 hrs of booking?")
Air travellers in India may soon get more flexibility with their bookings, allowing passengers to cancel or amend their tickets without extra charges but with certain caveats. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country’s aviation watchdog, is mulling crucial changes to the ticket refund norms.
The proposed revisions could be a big boon for passengers troubled by refund delays and a lack of clarity in cancellation policies. The new rules aim to make ticket refunds faster and more transparent.
Let’s take a closer look.
Refunds, ‘look-in’ window & more
The DGCA has proposed reforms to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) for air ticket refunds.
The draft rules state that when tickets are booked through a travel agent or portal, the “onus of refund shall lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives”.
The regulator has said that airlines should complete the refund process within 21 working days, reported the PTI news agency.
The DGCA has proposed a ‘Look-in option’ that airlines must provide to passengers after booking a ticket.
Under this, flyers will have 48 hours to cancel or amend the ticket without any additional charges, “except for the normal prevailing fare for the revised flight for which the ticket is sought to be amended.”
However, this facility will not apply to flights departing less than five days (for domestic flights) or 15 days (for international flights) from the booking date when the ticket is booked directly through the airline’s website.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Beyond 48 hours of initial booking time, this option is not available and the passenger has to pay the relevant cancellation fees for amendment,” the draft CAR reads.
Credit card refunds have to be processed within seven days of cancellation, while cash ticket refunds must be released immediately by the airline’s office from where the ticket was bought.
No extra charges for…
In a move that would ease the burden on passengers, the draft rules recommend not levying extra charges on flyers in case of name correction.
An “airline shall not levy any additional charge for correction in name of the same person when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking, when ticket is booked directly through airline website,” the draft CAR states.
The DGCA has also proposed that airlines may refund the ticket or provide a credit shell if the passenger cancels the ticket due to a medical emergency.
Why DGCA wants to bring ticket refund reforms
The proposed changes come amid concerns related to air ticket refunds.
As per the regulator, the passenger anger is driven by delays in refunds of unused tickets, reduced refundable amounts, and airlines offering limited-time travel credit instead of refunds.
“Despite multiple meetings with airlines, there has been no improvement,” the DGCA said, as per Times Now. It added that setting the minimum benchmarks is necessary to protect the flyers.
The regulator has sought comments from stakeholders on the draft rules till November 30.
#BreakingNews | #DGCA proposes new rules for air ticket refunds: 48-hour free cancellation window, no forced credit shells@AnvitSrivastava @kritsween pic.twitter.com/ugLSv5Wbfp
— News18 (@CNNnews18) November 4, 2025
What do current rules say?
Flyers can cancel or amend their tickets without any extra charges, within 24 hours of the ticket booking. This facility is applicable up to seven days before the departure of the flight, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Currently, if a passenger cancels a ticket, airlines are required to refund all statutory taxes and user and airport development fees, along with the passenger service fee.
All types of fares, such as promos and special offers, as well as non-refundable fares, should be refunded to the passenger.
Keeping the refund amount in the credit shell by the airlines is the flyer’s “prerogative” and not a “default practice”, says the ministry. Flyers are not expected to pay additional charges for the refund.
If a person flags a correction of their name within 24 hours of ticket booking, the airline cannot levy an additional charge to make the changes.
With inputs from agencies
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