Supreme Court’s ‘don’t travel by air’ reply to ‘700% increase in airfares’ plea

The Supreme Court declined to grant an urgent hearing to a petition seeking intervention to cap inflated airline fares ahead of the festival season. The application, filed in a pending PIL challenging fare hikes, pointed out that the petition's hearing was scheduled for November 16, by which time Diwali, Bhai Dooj, and Chhath Puja travel would already be over.

The presiding Justice, Vikram Nath, told the applicant's counsel, "don't travel by air," before moving on to the next matter. S Laxminarayanan, a social activist, had previously highlighted "arbitrary and opaque" pricing by airlines around festival seasons, questioning the state's inaction. In January, Justice Nath called the fare hikes "exploitation," noting the fare increase from Delhi to Prayagraj and Jodhpur during Kumbh and other festivals.

The court reiterated a need for rationalization during a subsequent hearing. The government, through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said the new Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, would frame rules. However, the court demanded urgent relief. The application referenced news reports of fares reaching two to seven times normal prices, attributing this to aviation turbine fuel costs.

Airlines argue that a marginal revision, not a sevenfold increase, would be justified. The applicant argued that airlines price fares on demand, pushing them up to seven times the ordinary fare, which is exploitative and contrary to the norms for essential services. No other essential service is priced this way, the applicant added.