Flight Ticket Cancellation New Rules: Get Full Refund Under These Conditions, Check Details

In a major relief for air travellers, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised the ticket refund rules. Now, air travellers can cancel and change their tickets within 48 hours without incurring any penalty. The revised Civil Aviation Rules (CAR), issued on February 24, aim to make airlines’ policies more transparent and provide relief to passengers in the wake of increasing complaints about delayed refunds. The DGCA said that as per the new rules, airlines will have to provide a period of 48 hours from the time of booking during which passengers can cancel or change their tickets without any additional charges. However, if a passenger wants to travel on any other flight, the prevailing fare difference will be applicable.

However, this facility comes with some conditions. The additional period of 48 hours will not be applicable for tickets booked directly through the airline’s website within seven days of the scheduled departure date for domestic flights or for tickets booked within 15 days for international flights. After the 48-hour period, the airline’s normal cancellation and change fees will apply.

Additional fee collection

Among other notable changes, the DGCA has stopped airlines from charging additional fees for name corrections, provided that the mis-booking is reported within 24 hours and the ticket is purchased directly from the airline’s website. The move is expected to address frequent complaints from passengers about additional charges due to minor name errors.

The regulator has also clarified the liability of travel agents or online portals when tickets are booked. Even if the booking is made through a third-party platform, airlines are still responsible for processing refunds, as agents act as their registered representatives. Airlines have been asked to complete the refund process within 14 working days.

Revised rules

The revised rules have also clarified the issue of cancellations due to medical emergencies. If the passenger or any family member listed in the same PNR is admitted to the hospital during the journey, the airline may refund the full amount or provide credit for future travel. In other medical cases, the refund process will be initiated after a fitness assessment by an airline-appointed or DGCA-panelled aerospace medical expert.

It is to be noted that these changes have been made in the wake of increasing complaints regarding delayed refunds. The issue came to the fore during the flight disruption involving IndiGo in December 2025, following which the Ministry of Civil Aviation directed the airline to expedite the processing of pending refund claims. According to DGCA data, in December 2025 alone, scheduled airlines received 29,212 passenger complaints, of which 7.5% were refund-related. In the same month, domestic airlines carried over 1.43 crore passengers.