Air India Refunds

Last updated: 31 October 2026.

This page covers how to get a refund from Air India, what it charges to change or cancel a ticket, and what you can claim when Air India disrupts your flight. All amounts are in Indian rupees (INR) unless another currency is shown. The figures are those Air India publishes, and the base fare may change without warning.

Where to claim a refund

• Tickets issued since 25 May 2022 through Air India's own website or app: file the request from the Manage Booking area, quoting every ticket number to speed things up.
• Tickets sold at an Air India city office or airport desk: go to the closest Air India reservations office.
• Tickets bought through an agent or another site: the refund goes through whoever sold it.
• The refund deadline is two years after the day the ticket was issued.
• Under Indian aviation rules (CAR Section 3, Series M, Part II) a cancellation charge can never exceed the basic fare plus the fuel surcharge.
• Even when the fare is lost, the taxes go back to the card or account that paid.

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What counts as a change, a cancellation and a no-show

• Change: altering the route, the travel date, the destination or the flight number.
• Cancellation: you call off the booking yourself.
• No-show: you neither alter nor cancel the booking by 2 hours before a domestic flight or 4 hours before an international one. If you cancel inside that window, only airport taxes come back; the same is true once the aircraft has gone.

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A short window to change your mind

For tickets sold in India and the United States, you can alter or cancel without a fee during the first 48 hours after buying, provided the first flight is still 7 days or more away. When you change a booking you pay any fare difference on the day. If the new fare is cheaper, you are not given the balance, and the normal change fee still applies. Penalties are paid in cash.

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Change and cancellation fees by destination

Amounts are per passenger and ticket, listed fare by fare: Economy (Value, Classic, Flex), Premium Economy (Value, Flex), Business (Value, Flex) and First. Domestic Economy adds a Basic fare. "No-show and change" is what you pay if you miss the flight and then ask to rebook.

Domestic flights within India

Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

Singapore

Saudi Arabia and Mauritius

UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and the Maldives (SAARC)

South Korea

Japan

Europe (Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland) and the United Kingdom

Australia

United States and Canada

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Maharaja Club members

Silver, Gold and Platinum members pay reduced change and cancellation fees (see the Frequent Flyer page). The reduction covers the member's own seat, not other travellers on the booking.

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Award flights booked with Maharaja Points

Award tickets on Air India and on Star Alliance partners, when booked through Air India, are priced by the member's tier. Rescheduling after the free period costs cash, at one rupee per penalty point. Cancelling after the free period is deducted from your Maharaja Points. GST is added to the cancellation penalty on award bookings.

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Fog Care: free changes and refunds in winter

• The Fog Care scheme is for Air India services in and out of Delhi that fog may disrupt, chiefly very early and late evening departures. Affected travellers get a WhatsApp and email message ahead of the trip.
• On a fog-hit domestic Delhi flight you may move, at no cost, to another Air India flight on the same route in the following three days, or cancel and be refunded in full for the affected stretch. Bookings made on Air India's own site or app are handled in Manage Booking; bookings from a travel partner are handled by that partner.
• Alternatively the call centre can put you on any flight on that route up to the end of the coming March, using the waiver code sent to you.
• The offer works once per booking; later changes or cancellations are charged. You may also ignore the message and turn up, though the flight might not fly.
• Helpline: 0116 932 9333.

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Rules in the conditions of carriage when Air India is at fault

Air India's conditions of carriage cover cases where it cancels or delays a flight, cannot give you the seat you booked, skips a stop, or makes you miss a connection. They also say Air India may swap in another carrier or aircraft type for operational reasons, and then you are not owed compensation or a refund for the swap.

• Your choices: a seat on another Air India flight with space; rerouting to your destination on Air India, another airline or surface transport (if the new routing costs more you pay nothing extra, and if it costs less you are refunded the difference); or a refund under the rules below.
• Refund amount: if nothing was flown, the full fare. If part was flown, the higher of the one-way fare from where the trip stopped to the destination or next stopover, and the fare paid minus the fare for the part used.
• Delays up to six hours: Air India provides meals and refreshments while you wait.
• No alternative within six hours of the scheduled or revised departure time (a revision announced 24 hours before counts): on domestic trips you are entitled to a full refund; on international trips the ticket value is not refunded under this clause.
• Hotel: Air India arranges a hotel with transfers when the total delay passes 24 hours, or passes six hours for flights due to leave between 8 pm and 3 am.
• Compensation applies if you turn down the replacement flight after a cancellation, or if a cancellation makes you miss a connection, in addition to meals and the refund: the lower of the amount below and your one-way base fare plus fuel charge. It is paid only if you gave usable contact details when booking.

Up to 1 hour

INR 5,000

Up to 2 hours

INR 7,500

More than 2 hours

INR 10,000

• No compensation or facilities are owed when the cause is beyond Air India's control: political instability, natural disaster, war or riots, floods, explosions, pandemics or epidemics, government orders affecting the aircraft, strikes and labour disputes, air traffic control, weather and security risks. Air traffic management decisions that cause a long or overnight delay on a given day also count.
• Who receives a refund: the named passenger or the person who paid, with proof. Agent sales are normally refunded through the agent. Voluntary refunds are made only by the airline that issued the ticket or its authorised agent. A lost ticket is refunded on proof of loss, and the refund recipient must undertake to repay if the ticket turns up in use.
• Voluntary refunds on a part-used ticket: the fare paid minus the fare for the part flown, less service charges or cancellation fees.
• When Air India may refuse: a late request after the ticket has expired and the time allowed has passed; or a ticket shown to officials as proof of intent to leave a country, unless you prove you may stay and will leave by another airline or means.
• How refunds are paid: usually in the currency and country of purchase, by cash (where available), bank transfer or, if you agree in writing, travel vouchers, subject to the laws of both countries.

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Self-service reaccommodation

When Air India disrupts your flight you can rebook yourself without paying more. Type your six-character booking code (PNR) and surname into Air India's self-service rebooking page.

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If Air India disrupts your trip

Your entitlements under India's Passenger Charter (issued by the civil aviation ministry, in force from 15 February 2023) and under DGCA rules are explained on Air India's passenger rights page, which also carries notices for the EU, Canada, Israel, Thailand and mainland China. Claims under Canadian passenger rules go to customer support. If a complaint stays unsettled:

1. First file it on the customer support portal.
2. If the reply does not satisfy you, email the Nodal Officer, nodalofficer@airindia.com.
3. Still unhappy? Appeal to the Appellate Authority, appellateauthority@airindia.com.
4. The government's AirSewa portal also takes grievances. Quote your support case number whenever you escalate. Air India names Mr. Abdesh Kumar as Nodal Officer and Ms. Bhavna Tiwari as Appellate Authority.

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Questions travellers ask us

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Baggage Allowance is an independent information site and is not part of Air India. Check the airline's own pages before you travel.