Lok Sabha Question No. 6226 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-02
Subject: New Ticket Refund Rules
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Brijmohan Agrawal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 6226

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  2nd April 2026 )

## NEW TICKET REFUND RULES

## 6226.    SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) the details of new ticket refund rules applicable to airlines and the manner in which they provide benefits to the end users as compared to old ticket rules;

(b) the total number of domestic tickets issued during the last five financial years, year and State-wise;

(c) the details of the sectors eligible for the said rules;

(d) whether there is any plan to include international sector originating from the country and if so, the details thereof;

(e)  the  total  number  of  complaints  received  by  the  Directorate  General  of  Civil  Aviation (DGCA) with respect to unethical/ illegal charges levied by  airlines during last five  years, year and airline-wise; and

(f)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  impose  the  penalty  to  the  Airlines  for  the noncompliance of new ticket refund rules and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

(a): In order to ensure appropriate protection for air travelers in case of cancellation of flights by the airlines or ticket cancellation by the passengers, DGCA has issued passenger-centric regulations in the form of Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 3, Series 'M', Part II, titled 'Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers'. The CAR has been recently revised and came into  effect  from  26  March  2026.  As  per  the  revised  provisions  of  the  CAR,  the  'look-in option'  has  been  extended  from  24  hours  to  48  hours.  Additionally,  name  corrections  are permitted  without  penalty,  provided  the  mistake  is  reported  within  24  hours  for  tickets booked directly through the airline's website and the refund process is to be completed within 14 days.

(b):  Data  on  number  of  domestic  tickets  issued state-wise  is  not  maintained.  However,  the number of passengers that travelled in the domestic sector for the last five  years is placed below.

Year         No. of passenger ( In lakhs)

- 2021            838.14

- 2022           1232.45

- 2023           1520.32

- 2024           1613.31

2025           1669.46 (c) & (d): The CAR applies to tickets purchased by passengers for all Indian carriers, whether operating  scheduled  or  non-scheduled  services,  covering  both  domestic  and  international flights. (e): DGCA does not maintain data of unethical/illegal charges levied the airlines. (f):  Airlines  are  required  to  comply  with  the  provisions  of the CAR. To  ensure  adherence, DGCA  conducts  surveillance  inspections  and  spotchecks  at  various  airports  across  the country to monitor compliance. In cases where airlines are found to be non-compliant with the  provisions  of  the  CAR,  DGCA  is  empowered  to  impose  penalties  on  the  defaulting airlines for violations of the relevant provisions.

******