‘Ground airlines on non complianc’: Supreme Court's stern warning as Centre fast-tracks new aviation rules

The Supreme Court has strongly cautioned airlines to comply with regulatory requirements, despite the Union government's promise to expedite new aviation rules. During a hearing on Monday, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta stated, "If airlines are not complying, ground them," according to ANI news agency. The court made this remark while considering a plea filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan, which called for a robust and independent regulator to ensure transparency and protect passengers in the civil aviation sector.

The government informed the court that it had accelerated the drafting of new aviation rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, with the finalization expected within three weeks. The court was presented with draft rules sealed by the Centre, which stated that some final discussions were still ongoing. However, the bench noted that while a regulatory mechanism was proposed, the effectiveness of an actual regulator remained unclear.

The petition highlighted the surge in airfares and the reduction of free check-in baggage allowance for economy class passengers from 25 kg to 15 kg without a credible justification, effectively converting previously included services into new revenue streams. The plea also requested regulatory guidelines to control unpredictable fluctuations in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines.

The petitioner's counsel questioned the authorities' willingness and the effectiveness of the existing mechanism, pointing out the exorbitant fares charged by airlines. The court, during a hearing on July 13, directed the Centre to present the rules framed under the new aviation law, a legislation aimed at modernizing India's civil aviation framework.

The Supreme Court had previously termed exorbitant increases in airfares as "exploitation" and requested responses from the Centre and DGCA. The bench accepted the Centre's request for additional time, listing the matter for further hearing on September 7.