New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh)— The Supreme Court is set to hear a public interest litigation on Monday demanding regulatory interventions to curb volatile airfare spikes and excessive ancillary charges levied by private domestic carriers. Listed before a Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta on September 7, the petition calls for the establishment of an autonomous regulatory oversight body designed to enforce price transparency and safeguard consumer interests across the civil aviation sector.
The plea, instituted by activist S. Laxminarayanan and argued by senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, challenges the prevailing regulatory void that allows airlines to implement dynamic pricing models without adequate consumer protections. During earlier proceedings, Srivastava highlighted that pending the formal notification of updated statutory provisions, the absence of robust enforcement under older rules has left air passengers vulnerable to exorbitant ticket pricing and supplementary baggage and seat-selection levies.
The scheduled hearing follows a series of apex court directives compelling the Union government to formulate fair pricing policies. In prior sessions, the bench called for reasonable fare rationalization to protect everyday flyers. The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik, previously submitted draft guidelines in a sealed cover and requested three weeks to finalize comprehensive subordinate rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024. The court is now expected to review the progress of these statutory frameworks as it assesses the need for interim consumer relief.
