DGCA Ticket Refund Rules 2026: 48-Hour Free Cancellation

So no, the flight must be at least seven days away for domestic travel. Because of this, u201clast-minuteu201d bookings made 24 or 48 hours before departure do not qualify for a free cancellation.

In fact, the airline is still the one that must process your refund. Additionally, the DGCA has mandated that this process must finish within 14 working days from the date of request.

But the revised CAR was issued on February 24, 2026. Consequently, most airlines will fully implement these changes by the official start date of March 26, 2026.