New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and others on a plea seeking the issuance of binding regulatory guidelines to control unpredictable fluctuations in airfares and ancillary charges levied by private airlines in India.
The matter came before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The petition was filed by social activist S. Lakshminarayanan, represented by senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava and advocates Charu Mathur and Abhinav Verma. The petitioner sought the establishment of a strong, independent regulator to ensure transparency and passenger safety in the civil aviation sector.
The bench decided to issue notice to the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India. The bench has scheduled the matter for hearing after four weeks. The petition claims that currently no authority has the power to review or limit airfares or ancillary charges.
This allows airlines to exploit consumers through hidden charges and unpredictable pricing. The petition states, “The airlines’ irregular, opaque, and exploitative practices, including arbitrary fare hikes, unilateral reduction in services, lack of grievance redressal at the ground level, and unfair dynamic pricing algorithms, directly violate citizens’ fundamental rights to equality, freedom of movement, and dignity.”
The petition states that due to the lack of regulatory safeguards, fares are arbitrarily increased, especially during festivals or weather-related disruptions, causing immense harm to poor and last-minute travelers. The petition states that some wealthy individuals can plan and book tickets in advance, while economically weaker citizens are forced to purchase tickets at exorbitant rates.
The petition states, “This inequality in access and opportunity is at the core of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.” The petition claims that all private airlines have reduced the free check-in baggage allowance for economy class passengers from 25 kg to 15 kg without any valid reason. This has transformed baggage, previously part of the ticketing service, into a new revenue source.
The petition states, “The new policy of allowing only one checked-in baggage and the denial of any discount, compensation, or benefit to passengers who do not avail of the check-in baggage policy demonstrates the arbitrary and discriminatory nature of this measure.”
The petition requests a direction to the authorities to immediately restore the minimum free check-in baggage allowance of 25 kg for economy class on scheduled domestic services or provide equivalent compensation protection to affected passengers.
