New Delhi1 hour ago
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The picture is of Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.
The Supreme Court will hear on Monday the issue of arbitrary increase in air fares and extra charges of private airlines. The case is listed in the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta.
The central government had said on August 17 that the new rules would be finalized in 3 weeks. During the hearing, the court had said – Publish it within seven days. If the airlines are not complying then ground them.
The matter reached the Supreme Court last year in November 2025, when a petition was filed on issues like fare increase, hidden charges.
The petition raised 4 issues like baggage and additional charges
The petition was filed by social activist S Lakshminarayanan in November last year. He has demanded the creation of a strong and free regulatory authority for transparency and safety of passengers in the entire civil aviation sector.
In the petition, a demand has also been made to make guidelines on behalf of private airlines of India to control the fluctuations in air fares and extra charges.
- All private airlines have reduced the limit of free check-in baggage for economy class passengers from 25 to 15 kg. Earlier this facility was included in the ticket, now it has been made a new source of earning.
- Now there is a new policy of allowing only one bag for check-in and there is no provision of any discount or benefit for passengers who do not use check-in baggage.
- At present, no authority has the authority to review air fares or charge extra money or decide its upper limit. This gives airlines the opportunity to exploit consumers through hidden charges and uncertain prices.
- The unregulated behavior of airlines results in arbitrary fare increases, lack of services, and non-resolution of complaints.
Understand this whole matter with 5 questions and answers
1. Question: Why do air tickets become expensive during festivals?
answer: The main reason is dynamic pricing. As demand increases, cheap seats get sold quickly and the remaining seats go to the expensive category.
2. Question: Can airlines increase fares arbitrarily?
answer: Airlines vary fares depending on demand and available seats. In the current system, the government generally does not fix the maximum fare for each ticket. Questions have been raised on this system in the Supreme Court.
3. Question: Can airlines increase fares arbitrarily?
answer: In general market based flights, fares vary depending on demand and availability. However, airlines have to follow applicable regulations. DGCA monitors fares. Some government schemes, like UDAN, have a fixed maximum fare.
4. Question: Why is the fare different for different passengers in the same flight?
answer: Seats are available in different fare categories. Therefore, passengers booking at different times may get different fares on the same flight.
5. Question: What are the charges other than the ticket?
answer: Separate charges may be levied for excess baggage, seat choice, meals and some other optional services. Related charges may also apply for ticket change or cancellation. Their amount and terms depend on the airline.
Previous major hearings in the Supreme Court on air fares
- February 2026- Supreme Court is strict on increasing air fares during festivals: Seeks reply from Center within 4 weeks: The Supreme Court expressed concern over increasing air fares by private airlines during festivals and emergency situations. The court said that this is a matter of very serious concern. Otherwise, we would not have considered the 32 petitions. Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik told the court that this matter is related to the interest of the general public. The government and concerned departments are looking into this at a high level. Read the full news…
- May 2026- Supreme Court said- Why are the fares of two airlines different: One airline charges ₹ 8000, the other ₹ 18000: On the same day, one airline flying in the same sector may charge slightly different airfares, while another airline may charge different fares. This must be corrected. The central government should provide relief to the passengers. The petitioner told the bench that the air fare increases by 300%. On this, the bench jokingly said- Lawyers’ fees sometimes increase up to 400%, what to do now. Read the full news…
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