Flight Delay Compensation in India 2026 — Your DGCA Rights Explained
By Ishaani Reddy (Ishaani Reddy writes about the consumer-protection side of travel — DGCA passenger rights, OTA refund policies, hidden fees, dynamic-currency-conversion traps and the seven kinds of booking mistakes that quietly drain Indian travel budgets.) · Published · 13 min read
Indian aviation rules under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 3, Series M, Part IV give delayed passengers the right to meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and — beyond a threshold — a full refund or alternate flight at no extra cost.
TL;DR — what you are owed when your flight is delayed
If your domestic flight in India is delayed by 2 hours or more, the airline must offer you meals and refreshments. If the delay crosses 24 hours, you are entitled to a hotel stay (or transport to one) and a full refund if you choose not to travel. For international flights originating in India, similar standards apply under DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). These are not courtesies — they are legally enforceable passenger rights as of 2026. Keep your boarding pass and any written communication from the airline; you will need these to make a claim.
What do DGCA rules actually say about flight delays?
The governing document is CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The key thresholds for domestic flights are:
- Delay of 2 hours or more: Airline must provide free meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time.
- Delay of 3 hours or more: If the airline cannot get you on an alternative flight within 3 hours, you are entitled to either (a) a full refund of the fare paid, or (b) a confirmed seat on the next available flight of the same airline at no additional cost.
- Delay beyond 24 hours: Hotel accommodation (or transport home if the airport is your origin city) must be arranged by the airline at its own cost. If you choose not to travel at this point, you are entitled to a full refund — no cancellation fee applies.
For international flights originating from India, the CAR rules apply to the departure leg. For flights originating abroad and landing in India, the destination country's rules govern — though EU Regulation 261/2004 often applies to EU-origin flights, which can mean significantly higher fixed compensation (€250–€600 per passenger).
DGCA updated its passenger charter guidelines in 2023 and expects airlines to proactively communicate the reason for delay within 30 minutes of the scheduled departure time. In practice, enforcement has been patchy — knowing your rights in writing is your best tool.
Meals and refreshments — what counts and how to ask for them
Airlines are required to provide meal vouchers or actual meals once a delay crosses 2 hours. In practice at Indian airports this looks like:
- A meal voucher worth ₹200–₹400 at the airport food court (varies by airline and airport)
- Packed snacks or a light meal handed out at the gate for shorter delays
- Water and tea/coffee during the early waiting period
The rule does not specify a rupee amount — it says meals and refreshments commensurate with the waiting period. If you are waiting 4–5 hours and have only been given a small snack voucher, approach the airline's ground staff at the gate or check-in counter and politely ask for additional refreshment support under CAR Section 3.
Crucially, ask for these amenities proactively. Many passengers do not know they are entitled and airlines do not always volunteer the information. If denied, note the time, the name of the ground staff member and the written refusal — this strengthens any later complaint to DGCA.
At larger airports like Indira Gandhi International (Delhi), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (Mumbai), Kempegowda International (Bengaluru) and Rajiv Gandhi International (Hyderabad), the airline will typically direct you to a designated food court counter with a voucher. At smaller airports — Varanasi, Madurai, Bhubaneswar — the arrangements are less formal and you may need to push harder. In those cases, buy what you need, keep the receipt and submit a reimbursement claim.
Can I get a refund if my flight is delayed?
Yes — but the conditions matter. Under DGCA rules:
- If the airline cannot arrange an alternative flight within 3 hours of your original departure, you may opt out and claim a full refund. The refund must include the base fare, all taxes and fees paid.
- If you choose the refund route, the airline should process it within 7 working days for credit/debit card bookings and within 30 days for cash bookings.
- The refund applies even for non-refundable or discounted fares when the delay is caused by the airline (operational or technical reasons). It does not apply to delays caused by extraordinary circumstances like severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions or security threats — but the airline must prove the extraordinary circumstance, not just cite it.
If you booked through an OTA (MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, Goibibo, FlightGPT etc.), your refund request still goes to the airline — the OTA is a booking intermediary. Some OTAs facilitate the claim on your behalf; others ask you to raise it directly. Keep your booking reference number handy.
What if the airline delays my flight but I have already checked in?
Your rights do not diminish once you have checked in or even once you have boarded. If you are made to wait on the tarmac for more than 2 hours, the airline must provide water and snacks on board and must keep you informed of the delay reason at regular intervals. DGCA's 2017 circular specifically addresses tarmac delays and requires airlines to offer passengers the option to disembark if the ground delay exceeds 3 hours, unless air-traffic control or security clearances prevent it.
If you have already boarded and the flight is subsequently cancelled, you must be disembarked, provided accommodation and rebooked — not simply left on the aircraft.
Which routes and seasons see the most delays in India?
Knowing when delays are most common helps you plan buffer time and set realistic expectations. Based on DGCA's published on-time performance (OTP) data:
- Monsoon season (June–September): Delays spike across all trunk routes — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports regularly see cascading delays when afternoon thunderstorms hit. The Delhi–Mumbai sector, India's busiest, has OTP dipping below 65% during peak monsoon.
- Winter fog (December–February): Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport is particularly affected by low-visibility conditions. Cat-III ILS-equipped runways help but do not eliminate fog delays. Early morning flights (pre-9 am) carry the highest fog-delay risk at DEL. Arriving passengers from Delhi should factor in ripple delays on connecting legs.
- Peak holiday weeks: Diwali, Holi and Christmas/New Year weeks see high load factors that amplify any operational snag into a systemic delay.
If you must travel on a high-delay route during monsoon or fog season, book the first flight of the day — it starts fresh and has not accumulated delay from earlier sectors. Evening flights on busy routes are statistically the most likely to be delayed by 1–2 hours.
Airlines publish monthly OTP reports on their websites. DGCA's monthly OTP scorecard (available on dgca.gov.in) lets you compare IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa before you book.
How to file a complaint about a delayed flight in India
If the airline refuses to honour its obligations, here are your escalation paths in order:
- Airline's own grievance portal — IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa all have online complaint forms. File within 7 days with your boarding pass and delay notification screenshot as attachments. Note the grievance reference number.
- DGCA AirSewa portal (airsewa.gov.in) — India's dedicated aviation grievance platform. You can raise a complaint here directly against the airline. DGCA tracks airline response rates and publishes monthly scorecards.
- National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) — if the airline ignores DGCA mediation, file a consumer complaint. Claims under ₹50 lakh go to the District Consumer Forum. The DGCA complaint creates a paper trail that strengthens your consumer forum case.
- Airline Dispute Resolution (ADR) — for international segments, some airlines subscribe to ADR schemes in their home country. Air India's UK-based code-share partners, for instance, fall under the UK CAA's scheme for eligible routes.
Attach: booking confirmation, boarding pass, delay notification from the airline, receipts for any expenses you incurred (meals, hotel) because the airline failed to provide them. See our article on denied boarding compensation for related filing tips.
Special situations: international delays, missed connections and force majeure
International flights from India: DGCA rules apply to the outbound leg. If your Air India London flight is delayed at Mumbai, your rights are under CAR. Once in London, UK CAA rules apply for any onward delay of the same or a connecting flight.
Missed connections on a single PNR: If your Delhi–Mumbai–Singapore booking is on a single PNR and the first leg delay causes you to miss the connection, the airline is responsible for rebooking you on the next available service at no cost, plus hotel and meals if the wait is overnight.
Missed connections on separate tickets: This is a grey area. If you booked Delhi–Mumbai on IndiGo and Mumbai–Singapore on Singapore Airlines as two separate bookings, IndiGo has no obligation to cover your missed Singapore Airlines flight. Always allow at least 3–4 hours of buffer when self-connecting on separate tickets at Indian airports.
Force majeure: Weather, geopolitical events and ATC strikes are typically classified as extraordinary circumstances. Airlines may still owe you care duties (meals, hotel) even in force majeure — but they are generally not required to pay additional cash compensation beyond a refund.
What evidence should I collect at the airport?
Building your evidence file at the airport takes 10 minutes and can save significant hassle later. Collect the following before you leave the terminal:
- Screenshot the airline's SMS or email notification of the delay, including the timestamp. This proves the airline acknowledged the delay and when.
- Photograph the departure board showing your flight's status and the time. This corroborates the actual delay duration if the airline later disputes it.
- Request a written delay certificate from the ground staff. Not all airlines issue these proactively, but IndiGo and Air India will provide one on request at the airport service desk. The certificate states the flight number, scheduled and actual departure and the reason code.
- Keep every receipt — meals, hotel transport, even a SIM card top-up if you needed data to arrange alternate accommodation. These go into your reimbursement claim.
- Note the ground staff's name and employee number if they deny you an amenity you request — this is useful if the airline disputes your account of events at the airport.
With this file in place, an DGCA AirSewa complaint takes under 15 minutes to submit and is far more likely to result in a swift resolution.
Bottom line
Your DGCA passenger rights on delayed domestic flights are clear: meals after 2 hours, alternate flight or full refund after 3 hours, hotel after 24 hours. Do not leave the airport without asking the ground staff for your entitlements in writing. Keep all receipts if you pay out-of-pocket for meals the airline should have covered — you can claim reimbursement later. For missed connections and force majeure, the picture is more nuanced, but the airline always owes you basic care. Use the AirSewa portal if the airline stonewalls you.
Fees and features change — verify on the official site before you rely on them.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a flight need to be delayed before I get compensation in India?
DGCA rules kick in at 2 hours — the airline must provide meals and refreshments. At 3 hours without an alternate flight being arranged, you can opt for a full refund. At 24 hours, you are entitled to hotel accommodation. These are minimum thresholds; many airlines voluntarily offer more.
Does delay compensation apply to budget airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet?
Yes. DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements apply to all scheduled domestic carriers regardless of whether they are full-service or low-cost. IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air and Air India Express all fall under the same rules.
What if I am not given meals during a delay — can I claim the money back?
Yes. Keep your receipts for food and drinks purchased at the airport during the delay. Submit them with a formal complaint to the airline's grievance portal or to DGCA's AirSewa. Airlines are generally required to reimburse reasonable meal expenses when they fail to provide them.
Will I get a full refund if my flight is delayed by more than 3 hours?
You are entitled to choose a full refund if the airline cannot offer a confirmed alternative within 3 hours. The refund should include base fare and all taxes with no cancellation penalty, regardless of the fare class booked.
What is the DGCA AirSewa portal and how do I use it?
AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) is DGCA's official passenger grievance platform. Create an account, select the airline, describe the delay and attach evidence (boarding pass, screenshots). DGCA forwards the complaint to the airline and tracks its response within a 30-day resolution window.
Do DGCA delay rules apply on international flights?
DGCA rules apply to the departure leg of international flights originating in India. For flights originating abroad, the origin country's rules govern. EU-departing flights fall under EU261/2004, which can provide €250–€600 per passenger in fixed compensation for significant delays.
Which Indian airline has the best on-time performance?
DGCA publishes monthly OTP scorecards on dgca.gov.in comparing all scheduled carriers. Rankings shift month to month and by season. As a general pattern, early morning departures on any airline have the best OTP; evening flights on trunk routes like Delhi–Mumbai have the worst. Check the latest scorecard before booking a time-sensitive journey.