Tata-owned Air India moved quickly to capture goodwill—and market share—amid IndiGo’s turmoil, announcing on 6 December that customers holding tickets issued on or before 4 December for travel up to 15 December may reschedule or cancel once without paying the usual fee. Requests must be lodged by 8 December; any fare difference still applies.
The waiver covers both full-service Air India and its low-cost sibling Air India Express, giving price-sensitive travellers an option to switch flights without penalty if original itineraries were affected by the network disruption. The flag-carrier has also capped economy-class fares on nonstop domestic routes in compliance with the government’s new price-band directive.
![Air India waives change and cancellation fees to aid stranded domestic travellers]()
For corporate travel desks the waiver offers immediate cost relief: travellers can pivot to earlier or later departures as meetings move, or cancel altogether and reclaim the fare. Procurement heads should, however, watch fare-difference clauses—peak-hour alternatives may still cost more.
Operationally, Air India has redeployed wide-body Boeing 787s on trunk routes such as Delhi–Bengaluru to absorb demand, and is fast-tracking wet-lease paperwork for two Airbus 320s due to arrive next week. These moves underline the competitive dynamics at play: every disruption is also an opportunity to win customer loyalty ahead of Air India’s pending full-brand relaunch in early 2026.
The waiver covers both full-service Air India and its low-cost sibling Air India Express, giving price-sensitive travellers an option to switch flights without penalty if original itineraries were affected by the network disruption. The flag-carrier has also capped economy-class fares on nonstop domestic routes in compliance with the government’s new price-band directive.
For corporate travel desks the waiver offers immediate cost relief: travellers can pivot to earlier or later departures as meetings move, or cancel altogether and reclaim the fare. Procurement heads should, however, watch fare-difference clauses—peak-hour alternatives may still cost more.
Operationally, Air India has redeployed wide-body Boeing 787s on trunk routes such as Delhi–Bengaluru to absorb demand, and is fast-tracking wet-lease paperwork for two Airbus 320s due to arrive next week. These moves underline the competitive dynamics at play: every disruption is also an opportunity to win customer loyalty ahead of Air India’s pending full-brand relaunch in early 2026.
