DGCA Sets Guidelines For Airline Compensation To Passengers Refused Boarding

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Govt of India on Tuesday outlined the conditions for denying boarding to a passenger who has a valid ticket and has arrived at the airport on time.

According to the DGCA in an official statement, if an airline is able to arrange an alternate flight for the said passenger within an hour, no compensation is to be provided.

The statement issued by the DGCA further stated;

• If the airline is able to provide the alternate arrangement within the next 24 hours, compensation up to ₹10,000 is prescribed.
• DGCA also said that a compensation of up to ₹20,000 is laid down, for anything beyond 24 hours.

“Our stipulations on the subject are in sync with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and similar regulations are followed globally to accord appropriate respect to passenger rights,” the statement read.

Recently, the DGCA has issued stringent directions to all domestic airlines to follow the aforesaid guideline in both letter and spirit.

“After that, a series of checks were carried out by DGCA and during our surveillance at Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, there were specific instances, in the case of Air India – where the regulation is not being followed and therefore, a show-cause notice was issued to the Airline and also a personal hearing was afforded,” it said.

The DGCA has also fined Air India ₹10 lakh for denying boarding to passengers who had valid tickets and thereafter not providing mandatory compensation to them.

According to the DGCA, Air India may not have a policy in place and does not compensate passengers.

“To say the least, it is a matter of serious concern and unacceptable. In the specific cases detailed in the show cause notice, after going through AI submissions, as part of enforcement action, the competent authority has levied a penalty of ₹ 10 lakh,” DGCA stated.

“In addition, the Airline has been advised to immediately put the systems in place to resolve the issue – failing which DGCA shall take further action,” it added.