An attractive scheme awaits air passengers seeking a refund of their tickets booked before Covid-19 lockdown that came into force on March 25.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has proposed that all passengers will be entitled to a full refund of their tickets booked before March 25 within 15 days.
The scheme formulated by the Centre states further that if any airline is not in a financial position to pay immediately, the fare amount shall be kept in a Credit Shell to be availed by the passenger for travel by the same airline on any route before March 31, 2021. This option is not available to foreign carriers, who must refund within 15 days.
If a passenger does not wish to travel, the credit shell can be transferred to any person. If the amount is unused, interest will accrue every month on this amount and the same is to be refunded in full after March 31, 2021.
The DGCA notification of April 16, 2020, catered to full refund of tickets booked during the lockdown (March 25 to April 14). Those who booked tickets before this date had approached the Supreme Court seeking a refund of their ticket amounts.
On June 12, the Court directed the Centre to find a solution after consulting airline operators and travel agents. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan will consider the Centre’s affidavit when it takes up the petitions on September 9.
Pravasi Legal Cell, one of the petitioners before the top court, welcomed the decision of the Centre. Advocate Jose Abraham, representing Pravasi Legal Cell, told HT, “Almost 95 percent of petitioners before the Court had booked tickets before the lockdown. The April 16 notification of the DGCA was of no consequence to us. Even the Credit Shell proposed under it contained rigid terms. The present solution of the DGCA has balanced the interests of passengers by protecting their money and allowed flexible terms on Credit Shell.”
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