The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has fined Air India Express Rs.10 lakh for not compensating passengers affected by cancelled flights. This action comes after the DGCA's inspection in June as part of its Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2024. The inspection focused on ensuring airlines follow regulations related to passenger facilities and compensation.

The DGCA found that Air India Express did not adhere to the required guidelines outlined in CAR Section-3, Series M, Part IV, which covers compensation for flight cancellations. As a result, a show cause notice was issued to the airline.

In its response, Air India Express acknowledged that it failed to meet the compensation requirements for affected passengers. Due to these violations, the DGCA has imposed a Rs10 lakh fine on the airline. The exact details of the infractions have not been disclosed yet.

In August 2019, the Civil Aviation Ministry introduced a charter outlining passenger rights for domestic flights. According to these regulations, airlines are required to notify passengers about flight cancellations at least two weeks before the scheduled departure. They must also arrange an alternative flight or offer a refund.

As per the guidelines on the DGCA website, if an airline cancels a flight and informs passengers less than two weeks but at least 24 hours before departure, it must either provide a full refund or offer an alternative flight. If the notification is given less than 24 hours before departure, or if a connecting flight on the same ticket is missed due to the cancellation, the airline must compensate the passenger with an amount between Rs 5,000 and Rs10,000.

For tickets purchased with cash, the airline is obligated to process the refund immediately. If the payment was made via credit card, the refund must be completed within seven days.

For bookings made through travel agents, passengers should contact the agent for refunds. The refund should cover the passenger service fee, airport development fee/user development fee, and service tax.

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