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A Sangrur consumer court delivers a stinging rebuke to Air India, mandating a refund exceeding ₹1 lakh to retired doctor Dr. Surinder Singla after the airline stonewalled his Covid-19 rescheduling requests in January 2022.
Imagine being stuck halfway across the world, hit with Covid-19, and then getting the runaround from your airline. That’s the nightmare Dr. Surinder Singla, a retired doctor from Punjab has faced. Now, a Sangrur consumer court has delivered justice, ordering Air India to refund over ₹1 lakh for refusing to reschedule or reimburse his tickets in January 2022. The court didn’t hold back, blasting the airline for “deficiency in service and unfair trade practices.”
Dr. Singla, 62 at the time, and his wife Neena spent ₹1,54,773 on round-trip tickets from Delhi to San Francisco through MakeMyTrip. But when Dr. Singla tested positive for Covid-19 before their return flight, Air India refused to budge on rescheduling and even demanded an extra ₹15,500. With no options left, the couple shelled out $1,370 (roughly ₹1 lakh) for new tickets to get home.
The Sangrur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, led by president Jot Naranjan Singh Gill, leaned on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that airlines must refund passengers for pandemic-disrupted flights. Air India was ordered to repay $1,370 (about ₹1 lakh) with 7% annual interest from October 2022, plus ₹10,000 for mental distress and ₹10,000 for legal costs. The airline has until September 26, 2025, to comply.
The court absolves MakeMyTrip, deeming it a mere facilitator. Air India's no-show at hearings leads to an ex parte verdict. Advocate Yogesh Gupta champions the win as a "triumph for passengers crushed by inflexible airline policies," fueling calls for stronger consumer protections in aviation.
Dr. Singla’s win isn’t a one-off. In Bengaluru, a consumer court ordered Air India to refund ₹44,029 for a Covid-canceled flight to London in 2023, showing passengers are fighting back. The Supreme Court’s 2020 mandate set the tone, demanding airlines repay lockdown cancellations within weeks. These cases highlight a growing push for airline accountability as travelers demand their rights in India’s booming aviation market.
(Rh/Eth/VK/MSM)
