Expressing dissatisfaction , Indian Government orders Airlines to refund passengers, who cancelled flights in 2020 lockdown.

The Indian ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) has expressed dissatisfaction over indian carriers defaulting on refunds to passengers over flight tickets that were booked for travel during the coronavirus induced nationwide lockdown last year but got cancelled subsequently.

The Supreme Court in October accepting a recommendation of the civil aviation ministry and directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) ordered airlines to refund passengers the cost of the tickets of flights cancelled between March 25 to May 24 last year.

Today, the MoCA Secretary has chaired a meeting with all the airline companies regarding credit shells refund and expressed dissatisfaction towards airline companies who did not refund the money.

As informed to ANI by an official, 'GoAir and IndiGo have submitted their undertaking to the ministry that they have refund all the credit shells to the passengers' .

Budget carrier IndiGo has processed 99.95 percent of the total amount owed to passengers whose flights got cancelled during the two-month lockdown beginning 25 March last year.

 "Since the resumption of operations in May 2020, IndiGo has been rapidly refunding amounts owed to customers whose flights had been cancelled during the lockdown. The airline has already processed close to Rs 1,030 crore of refunds, which amounts to about 99.95 percent of the total amount owed to its customers, IndiGo had said in a statement.

National carrier  Air India, SpiceJet,  Air Asia  and Vistara are yet to refund total credit shells to the passengers.

"Refunds are governed by the order of the Supreme Court and we are adhering to those directions. SpiceJet had written to all its travel partners and agents in March 2021 to share details of pending credit shell PNRs so that the airline can immediately reverse the credit shell amount back to the agency ID," a spokesperson for SpiceJet said.

Last year, accepting the Centre's proposal, the top court directed that if the tickets have been booked through an agent for travel within the lockdown period, in all such cases full refund shall be given by the airlines immediately and the amount shall be passed on immediately by the agent to the passengers.