Civil Aviation Ministry cites only financial penalties for non-compliance

The question asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to state if it has assessed low passenger awareness of rights, the effectiveness of digital complaint platforms, and plans for stricter penalties or regulatory amendments to protect passengers.

Asked and answered by: Asked by Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar; Answered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (Minister Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu).

What the government said

• MoCA issued a Passenger Charter outlining rights for delays, cancellations, and baggage issues.
• Airports are required to display QR codes linking to the Charter at check-in and boarding gates.
• Airlines are instructed to share the Charter link during ticket booking.
• The AirSewa portal and a 24*7 Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) are used for grievance redressal.
• Between 01.01.2026 and 30.06.2026, 64,641 grievances were received, with 64,546 resolved (99.85% resolution rate).
• DGCA conducts surveillance inspections and imposes financial penalties for non-compliance with Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs).
• DGCA has issued specific CARs for persons with disabilities, denied boarding/cancellations, and ticket refunds, which are revised from time to time.

Also in the document

• The answer does not provide specific statistics on the usage of digital platforms or complaint resolution rates broken down by platform, only providing aggregate grievance data for the first half of 2026.
• The answer does not explicitly confirm or deny the proposal for 'suspension of licences' as a penalty, stating only that 'financial penalty' is imposed for non-compliance.
• The answer does not directly address whether the recent surge in air traffic has 'adversely affected service quality,' instead attributing congestion to seasonal factors and stating that operators take operational measures.