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My sincere apologies if this was already asked and answered before, I failed to find a similar question.

I had booked a flight earlier this year that had a non refundable cancellation policy. However, this flight was later cancelled due to CoViD-19 which meant the plane could not land in any of the countries on the itinerary.

I am wondering if I can receive a refund in this case.

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    Was the flight actually cancelled by the airline? In most cases, there have been restrictions on who can enter the country or the conditions attached to that (tests, quarantine...), not on actual movement of planes (though many flights have been cancelled due to the drop in passenger numbers). If the flight was actually cancelled, they owe you a refund. But even when legally required to do so, most airlines nowadays won't give you your money back, but vouchers instead. If you cancelled because you couldn't travel, you are not owed a refund (but most airlines will also provide vouchers).
    – jcaron
    Sep 1, 2020 at 13:31
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    Thanks @jcaron. It was cancelled by the airline. I booked the flight in February and it was cancelled in May. I was told I would get a refund(by an agent) in 1-2 months. Almost three months now and thought that maybe the agent missed the "non refundable" part. Is this overridden if the airline cancels the flight themselves?
    – NelsonGon
    Sep 1, 2020 at 13:35
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    Yes, if they cancel the flight they did not fulfil the obligations in their contract, and in most countries (all?) this means they need to refund you. But most airlines don't these days, they're strapped for cash and try to force you to change dates or take a voucher instead. Note that if there is an agent in the middle it may complicate things even further (it may be the agent withholding the refund if ever the airline actually processed the refund), they have the same cash issues as the airlines.
    – jcaron
    Sep 1, 2020 at 14:00
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    Woow, that's helpful. Perhaps add the comments as an answer so I can accept?
    – NelsonGon
    Sep 1, 2020 at 14:16

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This depends a lot on the countries involved and the specific airlines.

In most parts of the worlds (EU, US), you are entitled to a full cash refund if the airline cancels the flight. Some airlines will still refuse and will try to offer you flight vouchers or free re-booking instead. If that's the case you will have to be persistent in demanding a cash refund.

In other countries (Malaysia for example) there is no requirement for a cash refund. So you really need to check your specific case especially if it involves multiple countries.

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