Modifications to airline tickets made within 48 hours of booking are now free.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, has revised plane ticket refund guidelines to simplify cancellations and modifications for travelers. The new regulations allow passengers to change or cancel their airline tickets within 48 hours of buying without incurring additional fees. Airlines cannot charge for basic name alterations if they are discovered within 24 hours of booking, and refunds must be completed within 14 working days. These modifications are a part of a revised set of ticket refund guidelines designed to reduce confusion and delays that many travelers have complained about, particularly during the IndiGo flight disruption in December of last year.

Tickets can now be changed or canceled by passengers for free as long as they do so within 48 hours of purchase. If specific requirements are fulfilled, this also applies to reservations made directly with airlines. Flyers have a little window of time under the rule to change their intentions without incurring penalties. Once more, for reservations made on the airline’s own website, if a passenger points out a spelling or similar problem in a name within 24 hours of making a reservation, the airline is required to fix it without charging extra. This helps prevent needless fees for minor mistakes.Airlines are now required to handle refunds for tickets purchased through travel agencies or third-party portals and make sure they are processed within 14 working days.

This is an improvement over previous practices and attempts to shorten lengthy wait times for refunds following cancellations.  Although the regulator did not specify the specifics in its public update, there are additional modifications pertaining to medical emergency cancellations. Giving travelers greater options in the event that they must cancel their plans due to health concerns is the goal.When tickets are purchased through agents or far in advance, passengers frequently experience delays and misunderstanding over refunds.

The new regulations place the responsibility for a refund on the airline rather than the travel agency, which should help avoid customers being sent back and forth between several parties when attempting to get their money back. The modification was made in response to several complaints regarding delayed refunds. During the IndiGo operational crisis in December 2025, when numerous flights were canceled and refund delays were extensively publicized, the problem with ticket refunds was very apparent.

The regulator has made it clear that, in accordance with airline policy, travelers who modify or cancel their tickets beyond the 48-hour window will be required to pay any applicable modification or fare difference fees.