Airlines Will Now Offer Full Refund On Cancelled Flights After Govt Intervention

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Thursday that airlines will have to provide a full refund to its passengers who had booked air tickets during 25 March and 14 April for travel between 15 April and 3 May.

"If a passenger has booked a ticket during the first lockdown period and the airline has received the payment for booking of air ticket during first lockdown period for travel during the second lockdown period for both domestic and international air travel and the passenger seeks refund on cancellation of the ticket, the airline shall refund the full amount collected without levy of cancellation charge. The refund shall be made within a period of three weeks from the date of request of cancellation," the ministry said in its order.

"Grievances were received from air travellers regarding refund for flights cancelled because of the nationwide lockdown to combat COVID19. Advisories have been issued regarding refund for both domestic & international tickets booked for the flights suspended due to lockdown," the civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

This comes as a relief to air passengers as domestic airlines were offering credit shell equivalent to the customers booking amount to making a future booking for the same passenger with no option to obtain a refund.