The Supreme Court has taken an important step in curbing the trend of abnormal fluctuations in Indian air fares and exploitation of consumers. The Supreme Court on Monday directed the central government to submit to the court the new aviation rules framed under the Indian Civil Aviation Act, 2024. The court was informed that the regulations have already been finalized and are currently being translated into Hindi as well as other official languages before being tabled in Parliament.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik, who appeared for the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the central government, told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that the process would begin from July.“These rules will be introduced in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. He sought some time for it but the petitioner’s lawyer argued that as per rules, they should be released for public comments before being tabled in Parliament. The bench accepted the argument and directed the central government to submit the draft rules in a sealed envelope to the court within the next two weeks.
The Supreme Court heard a public interest litigation filed by social activist S Laxminarayan. Festival in applicationDemanded a mandatory rule to control exorbitant airfares and other extra fees charged by private airlines during holidays or emergencies. Counsel for the petitioner told the court that the abnormal increase in air fares during the festive season is highly exploitative to the customers and the DGCA’s inaction is responsible.
Earlier, the DGCA had directed airlines to provide 60 per cent seats to passengers without charging any seat selection fee and to arrange simultaneous seating of persons traveling on the same PNR.But the government suspended that order. During the hearing, Justice Mehta said that airlines could raise fares again on the pretext of fuel crisis, taking advantage of reports that Iran may close the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, the petitioner has argued that the share of fuel in the air fare is only 10 per cent, yet the fare has been increased by 100 to 300 per cent.
There is currently no independent authority to review or regulate air faresWhich has caused serious problems to common and economically backward passengers. While rich people can book tickets in advance, ordinary people have to pay extra fares in case of emergency. The court agreed to look into the matter seriously and fixed August for the next hearing