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India grants passengers right to cancel or change air tickets within 48 hours of booking without extra fees
February 27th 2026
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced that passengers can now cancel or change air tickets without an additional charge within 48 hours of booking, subject to certain conditions. Read More » The more passenger-friendly amended norms also stipulate that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correcting the name of the same person when the passenger points out the error within 24 hours of booking, provided the ticket was booked directly through the airline’s website. “In case of purchase of ticket through travel agent/portal, onus of refund shall lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives. The airlines shall ensure that the refund process is completed within 14 working days,” DGCA said. The amendments to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for ‘Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers of Public Transport Undertakings’ come against the backdrop of the rising passenger complaints about not receiving refunds on time. The ticket refund issue was also highlighted during the IndiGo flight disruptions in December 2025, and at that time, the civil aviation ministry directed the airline to complete the refunds within a specified timeline, The Economic Times reports. DGCA also clarified that in the event of ticket cancellations due to a medical emergency, where the passenger or a family member listed on the same PNR gets admitted to a hospital and hospitalised during the travel period, airlines may provide either a refund or a credit shell. “For all other situations, refunds will be issued once an opinion on the passenger’s fitness to travel certificate is received from an airline’s Aerospace Medicine specialist/ DGCA empanelled Aerospace Medicine specialist,” it said.
