New Delhi (NVI): The Supreme Court today accepted proposal made by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the refund of airfare to passengers for tickets booked during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The top court also said in case, airlines are not in a position to refund the tickets, they should issue credit shell where 0.5 per cent monthly interest will accrue till it is used.
If a passenger has booked a ticket between March 25 to May 24 for travel during the lockdown period and seeks refund, the airline shall refund the full amount collected without any cancellation charges, the court said.
However, the refund shall be made within a period of three weeks from the date of cancellation. “The airlines shall make all endeavours to refund the collected amount to the passenger within 15 days from today,” the court noted.
If tickets have been booked through a travel agent, full refund shall be given by the airlines and the amount shall be passed on immediately by the agent to the passengers. Even for international travel, when tickets have been booked on an Indian carrier and the booking is ex-India, immediate refund shall be made.
Meanwhile, the passengers who booked tickets at any period of time but for travel after May 24, refund of fares shall be governed by the provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).
-RJV
