The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to take action against airlines that fail to comply with its directions on airfares, even as the government placed draft regulations governing ticket pricing, surge fares, and excess baggage charges before the court.
The Centre told a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta that the proposed rules had been fast-tracked and would be finalised within three weeks. The draft regulations were submitted in a sealed cover.
The government also informed the court that, pending finalisation of the rules, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had been issuing office memoranda to airlines concerning pricing.
Petitioners, however, alleged that airlines were disregarding the Centre’s directions. The Bench said the government should “ground” airlines that were not complying with its instructions.
The matter will next be heard on September 7.
The proceedings relate to a petition seeking tighter regulation of airfares and protection of passengers from arbitrary and steep increases in ticket prices. The Supreme Court had last month directed the Centre to place before it the rules framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, which came into force in January 2025.
The court had also directed that the rules be submitted in a sealed cover, regardless of whether they had been placed before Parliament.
At an earlier hearing, the Centre had said the rules were ready and were being translated before being placed before Parliament.
On May 15, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the new aviation law had come into force in January and the rules under it were being finalised.
The Supreme Court has been examining airline pricing for several months. In January, it said it would examine “unpredictable fluctuations” in airfares, particularly sharp increases during festive periods. The court had described excessive fare hikes as exploitation and sought responses from the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
During the May 15 hearing, the Bench said airfares needed to be rationalised and asked the Centre to consider measures that would provide relief to passengers.
The Supreme Court had initially issued notice to the Centre and other respondents in November last year. The Civil Aviation Ministry subsequently informed the court in February that it was actively examining the concerns raised in the petition.
