Parliament Question: Reasonable cap on flight cancellation charges

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 202 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 REASONABLE CAP ON FLIGHT CANCELLATION CHARGES 202. SHRI KARTIKEYA SHARMA Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether the DGCA has defined a "Reasonable Cap" on flight cancellation charges relative to the base fare; (b) whether Government is aware that cancellation fees often exceed the base fare and fuel surcharge, resulting in near-zero refunds for passengers; and (c) whether there is a proposal to mandate a 24-Hour Cooling-Off Period, where a customer can cancel a ticket for free within 24 hours of booking? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) to (c): In order to ensure protection for the air travellers, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 3, Series 'M', Part II titled "Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers". The said CAR mandates the airlines to clearly and unambiguously indicate the amount of refund admissible on cancellation of a ticket at the time of booking. Further, the CAR stipulates that under no circumstances shall an airline or its agent levy cancellation charges exceeding the basic fare plus fuel surcharge. The aforementioned CAR permits the passenger to cancel or amend a ticket without any additional charges within 24 hours of booking, provided that the departure of the initially booked flight is more than seven days from the date of booking. However, the passenger has to pay for the normal prevailing fare for the revised flight for which the ticket is sought to be amended within 24 hours of booking.******