SC accepts DGCA's recommendations on refund of flight tickets booked during lockdown

On Thursday, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah accepted the DGCA's recommendations regarding the refund of the flight tickets booked during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. This verdict came on a plea by the Pravasi Legal Cell and others which contended that the non-refund by airlines is in violation of the Civil Aviation Requirement issued by the DGCA. 

The DGCA had informed the SC that those who made bookings prior to the lockdown for up till May 24 would be refunded as per the credit shell scheme. On the other hand, the airlines will immediately refund the customers for bookings made during the lockdown. Meanwhile, the refund for bookings made for travelling on dates after May 24 will be governed by the Civil Aviation Requirement.

In the order, the apex court also ruled that the tickets booked by the passengers through travel agents shall be refunded to the travel agents. Moreover, no refund will be given for any flight originating out of India, irrespective of whether it is an Indian or international carrier. Currently, there are 9,40,705 active novel coronavirus cases in India while 52,73,201 patients have recovered and 98,678 fatalities have been recorded. 

Read: 1.08 Lakh Domestic Passenger Flights Operated Since Their Resumption On May 25: Puri

Aviation sector during lockdown

At the advent of the COVID-19 crisis, passenger international air travel was suspended with effect from March 22. Domestic flight operations stopped from the midnight of March 24. The Centre commenced the Vande Bharat mission on May 7 to bring back the Indian nationals stranded abroad. From May 25, domestic air operations were allowed in a calibrated manner.

Initially, only 33% of the summer schedule was permitted to operate which was subsequently increased to 45% on June 26, 2020, and 60% on September 2, 2020. Recently, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri revealed that the revenue of Indian carriers reduced to Rs.3651 crore in April-June 2020 in comparison to Rs.25,517 crore in the same period last year. Explaining the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation sector in response to numerous unstarred questions in the Parliament, he noted that Air India's revenue had reduced from Rs.7,066 crore in April-June 2019 to Rs.1,531 crore during April-June 2020.

Read: International Flights To Remain Suspended Till Oct 31, Vande Bharat To Continue: DGCA