DGCA revises air ticket refund rules: No charges for flight changes within 48 hours

The changes follow a rise in complaints over delayed refunds, an issue that came into focus during the December 2025 disruptions involving IndiGo, after which the civil aviation ministry directed the airline to expedite pending refunds

Passengers will now be able to cancel or modify their air tickets within 48 hours of booking without paying any additional charges, subject to certain conditions, after aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revised refund norms to make them more passenger-friendly.

Under the amended Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for refund of airline tickets, airlines must offer a 48-hour “look-in option” during which passengers can cancel or amend bookings without penalty, apart from any fare difference on the revised flight.

However, this facility will not apply to tickets booked directly on an airline’s website if the departure is within seven days for domestic flights or 15 days for international flights from the date of booking. After the 48-hour window, standard cancellation or amendment charges will apply.

In a significant relief for flyers, the DGCA has also directed airlines not to levy additional charges for correcting a passenger’s name — provided the error is reported within 24 hours of booking and the ticket was purchased directly through the airline’s website.

The regulator clarified that in cases where tickets are booked through travel agents or online portals, the responsibility for processing refunds will rest with the airline, as agents act as their representatives. Airlines must complete the refund process within 14 working days.

The revised norms also address medical emergencies. If a passenger or a family member 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 assessment by an airline’s or DGCA-empanelled aerospace medicine specialist regarding the passenger’s fitness to travel.

The changes follow a rise in complaints over delayed refunds, an issue that came into focus during the December 2025 disruptions involving IndiGo, after which the civil aviation ministry directed the airline to expedite pending refunds.

In December 2025 alone, scheduled airlines received 29,212 passenger-related complaints, with 7.5% linked to refunds, according to DGCA data. During the month, domestic carriers transported over 1.43 crore passengers. For the full year 2025, Indian airlines carried more than 16.69 crore passengers, underscoring the scale of operations in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.