Air India Processes Over 2.5 Lakh Covid-19 Related Refunds

Air India said on Monday that it has processed Covid-related refunds to passengers totalling more than Rs 150 crore in the few months since the Tata Group reclaimed control of the airline from the Govt of India in January this year.

Air India also stated that it has also begun working to improve the refund process and has reduced the refund processing time to 2-3 days.

Notably, the Tata Group won the bid for the national carrier in October 2021 after a competitive bidding process for Rs 18,000 crore, including the cash component of Rs 2,700 crore.

Air India stated that clearing the backlog of refunds is a top priority.“More than 2.5 lakh cases totalling in excess of Rs 150 crore were processed in just the first few months after privatisation,” Air India said in a statement.

Significant effort has since been expended on improving processes and systems, as well as utilising technology, in order to expedite the processing of new refund cases.

As of today, an eligible refund request submitted through the Air India website will be processed within 2-3 days, according to the airline.

Furthermore, the airline clarified that subsequent processing by banks and/or credit card companies, which is beyond the airline’s control, can delay the refund by up to two weeks.

Air India Launched Special Refund Drive 

Air India has recently launched a special refund drive in which you can share your refund-related details with them and receive faster refunds. However, you will only receive a faster refund if you booked your flight tickets directly through Air India rather than through a travel agent or a third-party website.

“Dear passengers, if you have been waiting to hear from us regarding a refund of your ticket for a while now, please click on https://bit.ly/3LeJ0Cx to submit details. Please note, tickets issued by a Travel Agency will be processed directly by the Travel Agency,” said Air India in a Tweet.

If your refund from Air India is pending and you have not received a response from them, all you need to do is fill out this “Air India Refund Claim Form”

In the case of travel agent bookings, the refund is made to the travel agent, who is then responsible for reimbursing the traveller.

Rajesh Dogra, Air India’s Chief Customer Experience & Ground Services Officer, said:

“At Air India, the customer is our top-most priority. The processing of a record number of pending refund cases is a testimony to the different teams coming together and addressing a key legacy issue in a comprehensive and effective manner.”

“As part of our transformation, we are committed to bring standardised structure across our functions which is critical for us to emerge as one of the world class airline brands globally.”