New Delhi, February 26 Passengers can now cancel or change air tickets without paying any additional charges within 48 hours of making the bookings, subject to certain conditions, with the aviation watchdog, DGCA, revising the ticket refund norms for airlines.
This option will not be available for domestic flight bookings where the departure date is less than 7 days, and in the case of international bookings, the departure date should be not less than 15 days.
In addition to the amended norms that are more passenger-friendly, the DGCA also said that airlines should not levy any additional charges for correcting the name when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking, when the ticket is booked directly through the airline's website.
"In the case of purchasing a ticket through a travel agent/portal, the onus of refund shall lie with the airlines, as agents are their appointed representatives. The airlines shall ensure that the refund process is completed within 14 working days," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
In addition, there are changes with respect to the norms for ticket cancellations due to a medical emergency faced by the passenger.
The amendments to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for 'Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers of Public Transport Undertakings' come against the backdrop of the rising passenger complaints about not receiving refunds on time.
The ticket refund issue was also highlighted during the IndiGo flight disruptions in December 2025, and at that time, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the refunds within a specified timeline.
The revised CAR was issued on February 24.
Now, airlines have been asked to provide a "Look-in option" for passengers for a period of 48 hours after booking tickets.
"During this period, a passenger can cancel or amend the 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 facility will not be available for a flight whose departure is less than 7 days for domestic flights and 15 days for international flights from the booking date when the ticket is booked directly through the airline website," the regulator said.
Beyond 48 hours of the initial booking time, this option will not be available, and the passenger will have to pay the relevant cancellation fees for amendment.
In a significant move, the watchdog said that airlines should not levy any additional charges for correcting the name when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking, when the ticket is booked directly through the airline website.
According to the DGCA, 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.
"For all other situations, refunds will be issued once an opinion on the passenger's fitness to travel certificate is received from an airline's Aerospace Medicine specialist/DGCA-empaneled Aerospace Medicine specialist," it said.
In December 2025, scheduled airlines received a total of 29,212 passenger-related complaints, and 7.5 per cent of them were related to refunds. During that month, domestic carriers carried over 1.43 crore passengers, as per DGCA data.
India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets, with domestic airlines carrying over 16.69 crore passengers in 2025.