Supreme Court seeks Centre’s response on public interest litigation (PIL) against rising airfares

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging "opaque, exploitative and algorithm-driven" pricing practices in India's civil aviation sector, and questioning the reduction in complimentary check-in baggage limits for passengers.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought responses from the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERAI) within four weeks, after hearing the plea filed by social activist S. Laxminarayanan.

Senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, appearing for the petitioner along with AoR Charu Mathur and advocate Abhinav Verma, submitted that air travel, recognised as an essential service under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, has become increasingly unaffordable due to "unregulated, unpredictable and exploitative" fare mechanisms.

The PIL argued that sudden fare spikes driven by opaque algorithms, last-minute surcharges, and the unilateral reduction of free check-in baggage allowances from 25 kg to 15 kg disproportionately affect passengers with urgent medical, educational, or work-related travel needs.

It said that "airfare can double or even triple within hours due to opaque, algorithm-driven dynamic pricing mechanisms adopted by airlines," disproportionately affecting those who cannot plan in advance, including patients, students, and migrant workers. The plea highlighted instances where fares rose "four to six times within hours" during crises such as the Pahalgam terror incident and peak events like Maha Kumbh. (IANS)

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