Flight cancellation and delay: refund and compensation rights in India

If an airline cancels your flight, you are entitled to an alternate flight or a full refund, and in some cases fixed cash compensation, under the DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs). Refunds are governed by CAR Section 3, Series M, Part II (revised 24 February 2026, effective 26 March 2026), and delays, cancellations and denied boarding by Part IV. Complain to the airline first, then on the AirSewa portal, and if the airline still does not pay, file a consumer complaint within two years.

What the airline must do when your flight is cancelled

A flight cancellation is a failure of the service you paid for. You have two basic choices: accept an alternate flight, or take a full refund of the ticket. The airline cannot force a credit shell on you. If the cancellation happens without the notice the CAR requires, you may also be entitled to compensation in cash or bank transfer.

The compensation for a cancelled flight is the lower of a fixed cap and the one-way basic fare plus fuel charge. The caps depend on the block time of the flight (the time from leaving the gate to reaching the gate at destination): ₹5,000 for flights up to one hour, ₹7,500 for flights over one hour and up to two hours, and ₹10,000 for longer flights. Whether you qualify depends on how much notice the airline gave you and whether the cause was an “extraordinary circumstance” such as severe weather, air traffic control restrictions or a security threat. Read the current CAR text and the airline’s message carefully, and check the DGCA website for the latest revision.

Delays: what you can claim and what you cannot

A delay alone does not carry fixed cash compensation under the CAR. What it brings are care duties that grow with the length of the wait:

• Meals and refreshments once the delay passes a threshold linked to the block time (as reported, 2, 3 or 4 hours for short, medium and long flights).
• For long delays, an option of an alternate flight or a full refund. As reported for domestic flights, this arises where the delay is more than 6 hours.
• Hotel accommodation for very long delays or night delays, where necessary, with transfers.

The duties usually depend on checking in on time. Airlines are not bound to provide meals and hotels when the cause is truly extraordinary, but they are still expected to offer a refund or alternate travel. If the airline refuses a refund while citing weather, ask it in writing which provision it relies on.

A consumer complaint for a delay can still succeed on ordinary deficiency-in-service principles, for example a long unexplained delay that made a pre-booked hotel, a connecting flight or an exam booking useless, if you can prove the loss with bills.

Refund rules after the 2026 revision

The revised refund CAR changed the position for ordinary passengers, as reported on its release in February 2026:

• Card payments: refund to the card within 7 days.
• Cash payments: refund immediately at the airline office where the ticket was bought.
• Agents and portals: the airline bears responsibility, and the process should be finished within 14 working days.
• Look-in option: within 48 hours of booking, you may cancel or change without extra charge, paying only any fare difference. For tickets bought directly from the airline, it is not available if the domestic flight leaves in less than 7 days, or the international flight in less than 15 days.
• Taxes and fees: statutory taxes and airport charges are refundable even where the base fare is non-refundable.
• Credit shell: only at your option.
• No refund fee: no extra charge for processing the refund.

Because these rules took effect on 26 March 2026, a ticket cancelled before that date may be governed by the older CAR. Note the date of your cancellation.

Denied boarding

If you have a confirmed ticket and report on time but are involuntarily denied boarding, the CAR provides compensation linked to the delay in getting you onto another flight: none if you are re-accommodated within one hour; 200% of the one-way basic fare plus fuel charge, capped at ₹10,000, if within 24 hours; and 400%, capped at ₹20,000, if later or if you decline the alternate and take a refund. Payment should be in cash or by bank transfer, and a voucher needs your signed consent. As the CAR text is long, quote the exact paragraph in your complaint after reading it on the DGCA site.

Step by step: how to claim

1. Save proof now. Ticket, booking confirmation, boarding pass, the airline’s cancellation message with its time stamp, screenshots of the app and receipts for meals, hotel or alternate travel.
2. Apply for the refund in the app or website and note the reference number. Say clearly that you do not accept a credit shell.
3. Write to the airline’s nodal or appellate officer. The contact is on the airline website. State the refund due, the CAR provision and a 15 day deadline.
4. Complain on AirSewa (the government’s air passenger grievance portal) and, if relevant, on the National Consumer Helpline 1915.
5. File on e-Jagriti if the airline fails to pay. Fee is nil up to ₹5 lakh, and you can file in the district where you live or work (s.34(2)(d)). See filing on e-Jagriti.

Example: Priyanka in Delhi paid ₹19,600 directly on an airline’s website for Delhi to Goa. The flight was cancelled on the morning of travel and the airline offered only a credit shell. She applied for a refund in the app, wrote to the nodal officer and complained on AirSewa. The money came back within a week. Had it not, her District Commission complaint would have claimed the fare, interest and a modest compensation.

Travel agents, tour packages and international flights

If you booked through an agent or portal, claim from the airline and also complain to the agent about any convenience fees it kept. A cancelled tour package with only “vouchers” offered is a deficiency in service against the tour operator, so a notice and complaint can follow the same steps as for a product. For foreign carriers on international routes, the airline’s home rules or international conventions may also apply, and the complaint may be more complex. Take advice before filing.

Frequently asked questions

Can the airline give me a credit shell instead of a refund?

Under the revised CAR, a credit shell is available only at the passenger’s option.

Is there compensation for a delayed flight?

The CAR does not fix cash compensation for delay alone, but it requires care such as meals and, for long delays, refund or alternate flight. A consumer complaint can claim proved loss.

How long do I have to file a complaint?

Two years from the cause of action (s.69), for example from the date of the cancellation or the refusal of refund.

Does bad weather cancel the airline’s duty to refund?

Extraordinary circumstances can remove cash compensation, but the airline is still expected to offer a refund or alternate travel for a cancelled flight.

Which Commission hears an air ticket dispute?

Almost always the District Commission, as the price paid is far below ₹50 lakh.

Quick quiz

See the full course: Filing a Consumer Complaint, ₹199.

Sources

• DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements, Section 3, Series M, Part II (refund of airline tickets), revision of 24 February 2026, effective 26 March 2026
• DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements, Section 3, Series M, Part IV (facilities to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays), as currently in force
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019: ss.2(11), 34(2), 35 and 69
• Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction of the District Commission, the State Commission and the National Commission) Rules, 2021

This page is for education and general information, not legal advice for a specific case. Law as on 7 November 2026. The CAR figures are summarised from reported texts, so check the current DGCA CAR before quoting a figure.