‘Don’t travel by air’: SC refuses urgent hearing on plea alleging 700 pc airfare hike

• Supreme Court refuses urgent hearing on plea alleging 700% rise in airfares

• ‘Don’t travel by air’: SC responds to plea over steep airfare hike

• SC to hear separate petition seeking regulation of airline fares on 16 November

The Supreme Court on Monday refused an urgent hearing of a plea alleging a nearly 700 per cent increase in airfares, telling the petitioner not to travel by air.

An advocate mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh, seeking an urgent listing.

“The aviation fare has increased by 700 per cent,” the advocate said.

“Don't travel by air,” the bench observed.

The advocate argued that air travel was an essential service and that the alleged fare increase violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.

The Supreme Court is separately hearing a petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan seeking an independent regulator to ensure transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector.

The plea also seeks guidelines to control what it describes as unpredictable fluctuations in airfares and additional charges imposed by private airlines.

During a hearing on 16 October, the Centre informed the court that administrative approval had been granted to rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, and that they were likely to be published within two weeks.

The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to place the published rules before it at the next hearing on 16 November.

On 17 August, the Centre had told the court that it had expedited the framing of rules under the legislation, which aims to modernise India's aviation sector.

In January, the Supreme Court had flagged steep airfare increases during festivals and said it would intervene over unpredictable fare fluctuations. It had described exorbitant fare hikes as “exploitation” and sought responses from the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.