No need to pay extra for canceling/changing flights now if…
What's the story
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised its refund rules to make them more passenger-friendly. Under the new rules, airlines will provide a 48-hour "look-in option" after booking a ticket. During this time, passengers can cancel or amend their tickets without any additional charges, except for fare differences. However, this facility is not applicable if the departure day is less than seven days for domestic flights and 15 days for international ones from the date of booking.
Refund timeline
Refunds to be completed within 14 working days
The DGCA has also mandated that airlines must ensure refunds are completed within 14 working days. No charges will be levied for name corrections made within 24 hours of booking on the airline's website. If tickets are booked through travel agents or online portals, the responsibility for processing refunds lies with the airline, as agents are their appointed representatives, the DGCA said.
Emergency refunds
Guidelines for medical emergencies
In case of ticket cancellations due to medical emergencies, airlines may provide either a refund or a credit shell if the passenger or a family member on the same PNR is hospitalized during the travel period. For all other situations, refunds will be processed after an opinion on fitness to travel is received from an airline's aerospace medicine specialist or a DGCA-empaneled aerospace medicine specialist.
Grievance response
Why the DGCA took this step
The DGCA's decision comes after a rise in complaints over delayed refunds. In December 2025, scheduled airlines received 29,212 passenger-related complaints, with 7.5% related to refunds. Domestic carriers carried over 1.43 crore passengers that month alone and more than 16.69 crore passengers throughout the year, highlighting the scale of operations in India's rapidly growing aviation market.