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Want to cancel or refund your air tickets? What the new rules say

India's aviation regulator has issued new air ticket refund rules, which will come into effect from March 26. The guidelines state that passengers can now cancel or change air tickets within 48 hours of booking without extra charges, subject to conditions

Passengers wait outside the IndiGo airlines ticketing counter at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after several IndiGo airlines flights were cancelled in Mumbai, India. Following this episode, the country's aviation regulator has introduced changes in flight refund norms. File image/Reuters

FP Explainers|Feb 27, 2026, 12:11:50 IST

Air travel often turns into a headache for Indian flyers, especially if there is a ticket cancellation or flight changes involved. However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator, has revised air ticket refund norms to make cancellations and changes simpler.

These changes have been brought to cut flight delays and confusion that were flagged by passengers, especially during IndiGo's flight disruption last December.

Here is all you need to know about the new rules.

India's Aviation regulator, DGCA, updated air ticket refund norms to make cancellations and changes simpler for flyers.

According to the new rules, passengers can now cancel or change tickets without any additional fees if done within 48 hours.

However, there's a caveat: The airline shall provide a “Look-in option” for a period of 48 hours after booking ticket. During this period, passengers can cancel or amend their ticket without any additional charges, except for the normal prevailing fare for the revised flight for which the ticket is sought to be amended.

This look in option shall not be available for a flight whose departure is less than seven days for domestic flight and 15 days for international flight from booking date when ticket is booked directly through airline website.

Under the revised guidelines, airlines are required to correct spelling errors or minor mistakes in a passenger’s name at no extra cost, provided the issue is raised within 24 hours of booking.

Airlines must now handle refunds for tickets booked via travel agents or third-party portals, ensuring they are issued within 14 working days. This aims to reduce long waits for money to return after cancellations.

The new rules state that refunds must be completed within 14 working days, even if the ticket has been booked via an agent.

Medical emergency cancellations have also been mentioned. As per the new rules, in the event of ticket cancellations due to a medical emergency, where the passenger or a family member listed on the same PNR gets admitted/hospitalised during the travel period, airlines may provide either a refund or a credit shell.

The goal seems to be to provide passengers with more flexibility when health concerns disrupt travel plans.

Under the revised framework, the obligation to process refunds rests with the airline instead of the travel agent, a step intended to spare customers the frustration of dealing with multiple intermediaries.

The updated Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on airline ticket refunds have been issued against the backdrop of increasing complaints about delays in processing refunds.

Last December, airlines received a total of 29,212 passenger-related complaints. Of this, 7.5 per cent were related to refunds.

Ticket refund concerns came sharply into focus during IndiGo’s December 2025 operational crisis, as many cancelled flights were followed by widespread complaints about refund delays.