NEW DELHI, May 15: The Supreme Court on Friday urged the Centre to take steps towards airfare rationalisation and provide relief to passengers facing steep and inconsistent ticket prices across domestic routes.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta expressed concern over wide variations in economy class fares charged by different airlines for flights operating on the same sector and day.
The court observed that while one airline charged nearly Rs 8,000 for a ticket, another was demanding around Rs 18,000 for the same route, raising concerns over pricing disparity and passenger burden.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the government was already examining the issue under the newly-enforced Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, and consultations for framing fresh rules were underway.
The court was hearing a petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan seeking an independent aviation regulator to ensure transparency, passenger protection and oversight of airfare fluctuations and ancillary airline charges.
Senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, appearing for the petitioner, argued that existing provisions under the Aircraft Act, 1937 already empower authorities to intervene against excessive or predatory fares, but those powers were not being exercised effectively.
The Centre acknowledged that older regulations remain in force until new rules under the 2024 aviation law are finalised. The bench directed the petitioner to respond to the government’s counter affidavit and listed the matter for further hearing on July 13.
The plea highlighted concerns over unchecked dynamic pricing, sudden fare surges during festivals and emergencies, and additional charges imposed by airlines through reduced baggage allowances and ancillary services.
It also alleged that the absence of effective regulation has enabled arbitrary pricing practices, limited grievance redressal and hidden costs that disproportionately affect last-minute and economically weaker travellers.
Earlier, the apex court had described exorbitant airfare hikes during peak travel periods as a form of “exploitation” and sought responses from the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on measures to address the issue.