Fly easy: DGCA allows free changes within 48 hours
Passengers can breathe easy as they can now cancel or change air tickets without paying an additional charge within 48 hours of booking, subject to certain conditions. The option would not be available for domestic flight reservations where the departure date is less than seven days, and in the case of international bookings, the departure date should be not less than 15 days.
This major relief was announced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday as it revised air ticketing rules to introduce more passenger-friendly measures, introducing a “look-in option” for a period of 48 hours after booking.
During this period, passengers 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. The new norm, as per the aviation regulator, was brought in to curb the “grievances among airline passengers” regarding delays in the refund of unused tickets and the amount refunded by airlines against cancelled tickets.
Coming out with the amended norms that are more passenger-friendly, DGCA also said that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correction in the name of the same person 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 case of purchase of 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 DGCA said.
Besides, there are changes with respect to 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 also got 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, the airlines have been asked to provide a ‘Look-in option’ for a period of 48 hours to passengers 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 shall 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’s website,” the regulator said.
Beyond 48 hours of initial booking time, this option would not be available, and the passenger would have to pay the relevant cancellation fees for amendment.
In a significant move, the DGCA said that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correction in the name of the same person 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.
According to 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 empanelled 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, and domestic airlines carried over 16.69 crore passengers in 2025.
