Air Travel Latest News: Flight Tickets Booked During Lockdown Will be Fully Refunded, Says DGCA

Flight Ticket Refund News: The Director-General of Civil Aviation on Sunday told the Supreme Court that all flight tickets booked by passengers in domestic and international airlines for travel between March 25 to May 3 this year will be ‘fully refunded’. The aviation regulator added that if carriers are unable to reimburse the ticket fares, flyers will get a credit shell up to March 31, 2021. Also Read – International Flights on September 6: 15 Lakh People Returned Under Vande Bharat Mission; Check Out Full Schedule For Today

Earlier today, the top court reviewed a PIL regarding a full refund of booked air tickets during the first two phases of coronavirus lockdown and asked for the Centre’s views on the same. Also Read – Metro Resumption News: Rs 500 Fine For Commuters Without Mask, Rs 100 For Spitting | All You Need to Know About Traveling in Noida Metro From Tomorrow

“Passengers can transfer the credit shell to any person, and the airlines shall honour such a transfer. The airlines shall devise a mechanism to facilitate such a transfer. By the end of March 2021, the Airlines shall refund cash to the holder of the credit shell,” the Union Government told the apex court, as quoted by NDTV. Also Read – Pre-flight Alcohol Tests to Resume For Pilots, Cabin Crew Members For Domestic, International Flights: DGCA

The DGCA said that after various rounds of deliberations between the stakeholders including the airlines, they have arrived at a proposed workable solution keeping in view the interests of both passengers as well as companies.

On June 12, the top court, while hearing a PIL filed by NGO ‘Pravasi Legal Cell’, had asked the Centre, the DGCA and the airlines to discuss and work out modalities for a full refund of tickets for domestic and international flights which were cancelled following the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Civil Aviation Ministry had in April directed all airlines to issue a full refund to customers seeking cancellation of tickets due to coronavirus lockdown within a period of 3 weeks from date of request.

Many flyers had expressed their displeasure on social media when domestic airlines decided not to refund them in cash for their cancelled flights and instead issue credit for future travel.

Notably, domestic flights resumed in India on May 25 after remaining suspended for two months due to the coronavirus-infused lockdown.

While commercial international flights still continue to be suspended, the government said that it will continue Vande Bharat Mission under specific bilateral arrangements through air bubbles.