New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to submit its final rules on regulating airfares by November 16, responding to growing concerns over excessive and arbitrary ticket prices charged by private carriers.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the pricing regulations had secured government approval and would be published within a fortnight. The court instructed the Centre to place these finalised rules on record ahead of the upcoming hearing.
The judicial proceedings stem from a public interest litigation highlighting the pricing practices of private airlines and sharp fare fluctuations that place a heavy financial burden on passengers.
During a previous hearing in August, the Supreme Court had instructed the Centre to ground carriers that failed to comply with established guidelines. At that time, government representatives indicated that the formal airfare regulations would be finalized within a three-week window.
The matter gained urgency after the Civil Aviation Ministry reported that it had relied on office memorandums to manage airline pricing pending the final framework, though carriers had largely ignored these directives. The court had previously reviewed draft rules submitted by the government in a sealed cover before setting the new November deadline.