The Deputy General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Thursday that those who have booked airline tickets for days between March 25 and April 14 are eligible to claim a full refund within three weeks’ time from the date of request of cancellation. In addition, no cancellation charges will be levied on these bookings, said the DGCA.

For people who made airline bookings for days between April 14 and May 3, after canceling their tickets for a date between March 25 and April 14, the DGCA has enabled them to claim a full refund without any additional cancellation charge. The refund, however, has to be claimed within three weeks’ time following the date of request of cancellation.

These developments come 48 hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an official announcement to extend the 21-day nationwide lockdown which began on March 25 and was due to end on April 14, 2020. 

Airlines were not issuing full refunds to passengers who booked flights for travel in the lockdown period. They were instead asking them to travel using the amount paid anytime within up to a year. Those seeking refunds were made to suffer big cancellation charges, for no fault of the passenger.

Following massive public outcry, the aviation ministry issued an order on Thursday, saying: “If a passenger has booked a ticket during the first lockdown period (from March 25 to April 14, 2020) and the airline has received payment … for travel during the same period, for both domestic and international air travel, and refund is sought by the passenger against that booking being canceled, 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.”

However, this point is redundant as people knew all scheduled flights are canceled in the first lockdown period so there may not have been bookings during that period.
Only the second point of the order will provide relief to some passengers. “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 (from March 25 to April 14) for travel during the second lockdown period (from April 15 to May 3) 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 order by ministry joint secretary Usha Padhee says.