New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry said Thursday that passengers who had booked flight tickets during the first phase of lockdown for travel up to May 3 must get a full refund from the airlines without any cancellation charges if they ask for it.
Several passengers have been complained on this issue on social media. They said domestic airlines are not giving refunds in cash for cancelled flights. They are instead issuing credit for future travel, the passengers said.
All domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended during the lockdown period.
“If a passenger has booked a ticket during the first lockdown period, and the airline has received the payment for booking of air ticket during first lockdown period for travel during the second lockdown period, for both domestic and international air travel, and the passenger seeks refund on cancellation of the ticket, the airline shall refund the full amount collected without levy of cancellation charges,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.
Similarly, the ministry clarified in its circular that if a passenger has booked a domestic or international ticket during the first lockdown period, and if the airline received the payment during that period only, for travel during the second lockdown period, the passenger can ask for refund from the airline and the latter shall give it.
The ministry said the refund must be given to passengers within a period of three weeks from the date of the request for cancellation.
When Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways shut down their operations in India, it resulted in massive losses to passengers. This is because refunds could not be processed. Both the airlines were taking advance bookings even when their financial condition was precarious.
The US government earlier this month directed its airlines to issue refunds to passengers for ticket cancellations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As domestic and international travel has been suspended in India during the lockdown period, the revenues of Indian airlines have decreased drastically. Airline companies in the country fear that if they have to issue full refunds to all passengers, it will significantly deplete their cash reserves.
Therefore, none of the airlines in India are issuing full refunds. Instead, they are issuing credit vouchers of the same price as that of the cancelled tickets, which can be used by the passengers for another booking during the next one year.
PTI