India's Airline Refund Rules Changed This Year, Here's the 48-Hour Window Flyers Should Know

A revised Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) issued by India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, dated 24 February 2026, came into force on 26 March 2026 and changed how domestic airlines handle cancellations, changes and refunds. The rule has been in effect for several months now, but with several domestic carriers still updating their own booking terms to match it through the year, it remains worth flagging for anyone booking a flight within or out of India.

The 48-hour free-look window

Under the revised CAR, passengers get a 48-hour window after booking in which they can cancel or amend a ticket without paying the airline's usual change or cancellation fee, provided the flight itself is scheduled at least seven days later for domestic travel, or 15 days later for international travel. Within that window, a traveller who cancels is still liable only for any fare difference on a rebooked flight, not a separate penalty charge, though this does not apply to bookings made closer to departure than those thresholds.

Faster refund processing

The same CAR tightens how quickly airlines must return money once a cancellation or refund is due, setting a general processing window of 14 working days, with refunds on card payments meant to be processed faster, within around seven days of a cancellation being logged. Airlines that miss these windows are expected to face DGCA scrutiny, though enforcement in individual disputed cases still generally runs through the airline's own customer service channels first.

A smaller change on name corrections

Alongside the refund and cancellation changes, the CAR also addresses minor name-correction fees, an area that has drawn repeated passenger complaints in India: airlines are not meant to charge for small spelling or name corrections reported within 24 hours of the original booking.

Confirm before you book

Rules of this kind are implemented by each airline in its own booking terms, and some domestic carriers have taken longer than others to fully align their websites, apps and call-centre scripts with the CAR's specifics. Anyone planning a booking, or already holding one, should check the current cancellation and refund terms directly on the DGCA's website (dgca.gov.in) or the airline's own official site before assuming a particular window or fee applies.

Traveller tips

• The 48-hour free-look window only applies to bookings made at least seven days (domestic) or 15 days (international) before departure; last-minute bookings are not covered.
• Fare differences on a rebooked flight can still apply within the free-look window; only the airline's separate change or cancellation fee is waived.
• Refunds on cancelled tickets are meant to process within about 14 working days, faster for card payments; keep a record of the cancellation date in case of a dispute.
• Since individual airlines have phased in these terms at different speeds through 2026, it is worth re-checking the specific cancellation policy shown at the time of booking rather than assuming it matches the CAR exactly.