Lok Sabha Question No. 2897 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-05
Subject: Refund of Airfare
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Adoor Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 2897 (To be answered on the Sth August 2021)

Refund of Airfare

2897. ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH

## Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government is aware that many passengers have not yet received the refund of credit shell amount from the airlines for the tickets cancelled I not travelled during the lockdown year; if s0, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Directorate General of Civil Avation (DGCA) have done any review 0n the same and if s0, the details thereof;
- (b) the reasons for not adhering the order of the Hontble Supreme Court for completing the refund process before 31st March; 2021;
- (d) the details of credit shell amount still pending for refund; airline wise; and (e) whether the Government proposes to issue direction
- on the airlines to complete the process without further and if sO, the details thereof? delay

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(GEN. (DR) V. K SINGH (RETD))

(a) & (b): Yes, Sir: Due to COVID-19 pandemic situation and consequent lockdown; air passengers had faced problems of cancellation of flights and refund for the tickets cancelled. Accordingly, Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA) had issued the Order dated 16.04.2020 for refund of air fare during the lockdown period;, Subsequently, MoCA has been monitoring the status of implementation of the Hon'ble Supreme Court's Order:

(c) to (e): Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has undertaken five meetings with Schedule Domestic Airlines to review the status of refund The details; airline-wise, as on 05.04.2021 as submitted by Scheduled Domestic Airlines are placed at Annexure. MoCA has issued directions for implementation of Order passed by Hon'ble Supreme Court and to monitor the same regularly.

## Statement referred to in reply of Lok Sabha unstarred Q.no 2897 for answer on 05.08.2021 Air India

| Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   | Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   | Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   | Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   | Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   | Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   | Refunds details of Air India in India from 01JAN2O2O to 31MAR 2021, as on O1APR21   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                     | Jan to Mar2o                                                                        | Apr to Junzo                                                                        | July to Sepzo                                                                       | Oct to Deczo                                                                        | Jan to Feb21                                                                        | Total                                                                               |
| No. of Tickets                                                                      | 2318                                                                                | 48495                                                                               | 117716                                                                              | 242411                                                                              | 114502                                                                              | 525441                                                                              |
| Total amt in INR crs                                                                |                                                                                     | 19.83                                                                               | 44.10                                                                               | 77.79                                                                               | 53.86                                                                               | 197.03                                                                              |

## Spiceiet

Spicejet has informed the following status on refunds:

| Description                             | No of Tickets (PNRs)   | Total Amount(Cr)   |
|-----------------------------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
| Ticket Cancelled (Credit Shell Created) | 377,453                | 381,25             |
| Credit Shells (Utilized)                | 50,838                 | 102.75             |
| Ticket Refunded                         | 280,968                | 241,83             |
| Ticket Pending Available Credit Shell)  | 45,647                 | 36.67              |

## Indigo

Indigo has informed the following status on refunds:

| Description       |   No. Of Tickets | Amount (Approx:)   |
|-------------------|------------------|--------------------|
| Tickets cancelled |          1198156 | 1033CR             |
| Tickets refunded  |          1197353 | 1032CR             |
| Credit Shells     |              803 | 0.43CR             |
| Pending           |              803 | 0.43CR             |

## Vistara

Vistara has informed the following status on refunds:

| Description   | No of tickets (PNRs)   | Total Amount (Cr)   |
|---------------|------------------------|---------------------|
| Total         | 301475                 | 132.5               |
| Exchanged     | 49720                  |                     |
| Refunded      | 228129                 | 22.7 98.9           |
| Unutilized    | 23626                  |                     |
|               |                        | 10.8                |

## Go Aic

Go Air has submitted the following status on refunds:

| Description                            | No of tickets (PNRs)   | Total Amount (Cr)   |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------|---------------------|
| Tickets Cancelled pre and during Covid | 3,95,761               | 273.40              |
| RRefundedlreused/system constrained    | 3,95,761               | 273.4               |
| Pending Liability                      |                        |                     |

AirAsia Air Asia has submitted the following status on refunds:

|                                                                                                             | No of tickets PNRs=   | Total Amount (Cr)   | Remarks                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Tickets cancelled                                                                                           | 2,43,846              | 114.03              | [There is a slight change in the total amount for ladjusting the duplicate cases                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Tickets refunded settled                                                                                    | 230,831               | 136.5               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Tickets booked and flown on Alternate Flights                                                               | 10218                 | 5.55                |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Credit shell                                                                                                |                       |                     | Air Asia India had created credit shells only for such Icases where customers had opted for credit shells as the service recovery option against the cancelled fflights. Following the regulatory directive, AirAsia lindia refunded all the credit shell PNRs except the 1673 credit shell PNRs shown below in "Credit Shell [Pending for Refund" due to non-availability of the Ipassenger's bank details. |
| Credit Shells Pending for Refund (due to unavailability of customer's bank account details)                 | 673                   | 0.58                | These are the cases where we have not received any bank details from the guests despite multiple Irequests                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Tickets Pending for Refund (Neither received any service recovery request nor bank details from the guests) | 2,124                 | 1.3                 | We have communicated multiples times to all these Iguests seeking their preferred service recovery loptions (free move flight or full refund) . We have lalso sent communication to these guests seeking Itheir bank account details to process full refuinds. {These guests have yet not shared their bank laccount details for us to process their refunds.                                                |

## Truiet

Trujet has submitted that they have settled all the refunds of cancelled air tickets during COVID-19.

## Air India Express

Air India Express has submitted that they had processed refunds on all INR PNRs as per the Supreme Court order.