
Although many airlines use the same aircraft for domestic and international services, two “parallel compensation systems” work in the country – one for domestic and the other for international. For example, in the event of an accident, compensation for victims differs depending on whether the flight was international or domestic.
For death or serious injury, international passengers can receive up to 113 100 special drawing rights (SDR) (one SDR equals 88 GBP), while compensation for this in the domestic sector is limited to only 20 lakhs. SDR is a global currency for compensation of airlines within the Montreal Convention, awarded daily by the IMF based on five main currencies and published as an official exchange rate.
Similarly, luggage demands are limited to 1,131 SDR in international years, but only 20,000 GBP in the home. For loss or cargo damage, the limit of 19 SDR per kg at international level, compared to only 350 GBP per kg for domestic flights.
The same compensation
EAPEN, President, President of Rights and Complaints in the field of remedial persons (Aurgrf), who submitted the Minister of Civil Aviation in the Rules for Compensation, is the right to represent all passengers submitted by the Minister of Civil Aviation, President, President, President. Adoption of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Furthermore, the adoption of revised limits of compensation according to the Montreal Convention of 1999 (MC99), effective 28 December 2024, will deal with some of the main gaps in this area, he said.
Although Charter of Rights Air Passengers Rights Charter, 2019, was a positive step, revised restrictions on the compensation of the Montreal Convention was not taken by the country. The Montreal Convention of 1999 (MC99), framed by ICAO and International Air Transport Association (IATA), introduces a uniform standard of global liability that applies to domestic and international operations by airlines worldwide.
According to MC99
According to the revised limits of ICAO compensation, within the MC99, the death or serious injury of compensation 151 880 SDR ($ 2,02,500) follows 6,303 SDR ($ 800) for passenger delay, 1,519 SDR ($ 2,000) for loss of luggage/delay and 26 SDR/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) (35/kg) for the loss of the passenger. As a result of the Ahmedabad accident, Air India and Tata announced Group 1 Crore 1 Crore to compensate for the victim, along with the provisional payment of 25 ₹ Lakh. If a revised limit of compensation is accepted, compensation would be around 1.72 crore, Mr. Eapen said.
Since Indian carriers often operate the same aircraft across domestic and international routes and participate in sharing codes with foreign airlines, a unified regulatory framework is necessary. The Union Government should therefore be prepared to immediately ratify the updated limits of MC99 ICAO, along with a change in the rules of air passengers in 2019 to reflect international standards, he said the representation of the presented center.
Published – 26 June 2025 20:55