SC to hear pleas seeking refund of airfare for cancelled flights on Sept 23

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will hear the plea seeking directions on refund of airfare September 23. These refunds will be of those flights that were cancelled during the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This development comes three days after DGCA suggested the top court that full refund shall be provided by airlines immediately for tickets booked during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Justice Ashok Bhushan headed the bench and told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that there are some clarifications required and asked the Centre to file an affidavit to make some clarification in the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was appearing on behalf of the central government. Further posting the date of September 23, the bench also granted 10 days time to all parties and stakeholders to file affidavits to the Centre's affidavit.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Mehta told the court that the government has taken a decision which is subject to the Court's final approval. "What we're saying is tickets will have to be refunded. Amount of tickets will have to be refunded," Mehta said.

READ: DGCA proposes in SC: Airlines to make full refund of tickets booked during lockdown period

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Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the passengers, however, raised doubts whether air ticket refund proposal of the Ministry of Civil Aviation confines to tickets booked during the lockdown and not before March 23.

"We only want to say relief should not be confined to only those who booked tickets on the first lockdown. Centre's affidavit gives an impression that relief is confined to only those who had booked during the first lockdown," Hegde contended.

Earlier, the DGCA said that after various rounds of deliberations between the stakeholders including the airlines, they have arrived at a proposed workable solution keeping in view the interests of both passengers as well as companies. On June 12, the top court, while hearing a PIL filed by NGO ''Pravasi Legal Cell'', had asked the Centre, the DGCA and the airlines to discuss and work out modalities for a full refund of tickets for domestic and international flights which were cancelled following the COVID-19 lockdown.

READ: SC issues notice to Centre on plea for refund of ticket for flights cancelled due to COVID

READ: DGCA may put passengers refusing to wear masks on no-fly list; beverages & food allowed

(With inputs from Agencies)