New Delhi, Sep 6: Centre has filed an affidavit in Supreme Court stating that full refund will be made for all tickets – domestic, international and foreign carriers booked during the lockdown period for travel.
Non-refund of air tickets booked during lockdown and creation of involuntary credit shell by airlines is a violation of civil aviation requirements and provisions of the Aircraft Rules of 1937, the Centre told the apex court.
Tickets booked by passengers in domestic and international carriers for air travel between March 25 to May 3, 2020, i.e. during the first two phases of the COVID-19 lockdown, will be fully refunded, the government said.
“The passenger can transfer the credit shell to any person, and the airlines shall honour such a transfer. The airlines shall devise a mechanism to facilitate such a transfer. By the end of March, 2021, the Airlines shall refund cash to the holder of the credit shell,” the affidavit said.
The passenger shall be able to consume the credit shell up to March 31, 2021 on any route of his choice. If the passenger wants to buy a ticket of value more than the credit shell, then he can use cash to top it up, the Centre said.
