Now pay less for cancelling your ticket, says Aviation Ministry

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday announced that air passengers will have to pay less for cancelling an air ticket from August 1. "Cancellation amount not to exceed basic fare plus fuel surcharge; all statutory levies and taxes to be refunded under all circumstances," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said as he announced that the new cancellation norms for fare refund would take effect from August 1.

Issuing the revised regulations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also made it clear that airlines cannot levy an additional charge to process the refund."This provision shall also be applicable for all types of fares offered including promos/special tickets and where the basic fare is non-refundable," DGCA added.The changes were first proposed by the Civil Aviation Ministry in June as part of putting in place passenger friendly measures.

In a tweet, Raju said the process of refund would be completed within 30 days even when booked through travel agents or online portals.

"Cancellation charges to be clearly displayed on every ticket. The policy to be prominently displayed on the website of the airline," Raju said in another tweet.No charges can now be levied by airlines for corrections of errors of names of the passengers, he added.

Separately, DGCA has also revised the rules on persons with disability and reduced mobility whereby airport operators should make provision for such people to embark or disembark from a flight without inconvenience.