Full refund of tickets booked amid lockdown: Supreme Court

New Delhi : Airlines will have to issue a full refund of money collected from tickets for the flights which were cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic, said Supreme Court today. The three-judge Bench, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, passed the order after a recommendation from the DGCA.

The ruling by Supreme Court will be applicable for both domestic and international flights.

The passengers who have booked their tickets through the agents can ask for the money refund from the agents soon after it is credited back in their accounts.

The airlines have been given time to refund the amount to the passengers by March 31 next year, it said. But bookings made during lockdown for travelling during lockdown needs to be refunded immediately "as the airlines were not supposed to book such tickets," the court said.

"If a passenger booked a ticket during the lockdown period (from March 25 to May 24) for travel during lockdown period and the airline has received payment for booking of air ticket for travel during the same period, for both domestic and international air travel and refund is sought by the passenger against that booking being cancelled, the airline shall refund the full amount collected without any cancellation charges. The refund shall be made within a period of three weeks from the date of cancellation, the order said.

"On such refund, the amount shall be passed on immediately by the agent to the passengers," it said.

"For those who made bookings prior to lockdown for a period up till May 24, the refund would be governed by the credit shell scheme and the incentives thereunder," the court ruled.