Supreme Court Seeks Government, DGCA Response on Plea Alleging Airline Price Gouging

The Supreme Court sought responses from the Union of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India on a public interest litigation alleging arbitrary and exploitative airfare pricing by airlines.

The petitioner claimed carriers excessively increased fares during emergencies and peak seasons without transparency, imposed hidden charges, and violated passenger rights.

The Court instructed the authorities to submit their replies within four weeks. The plea called for regulatory action, including reasonable fare caps and oversight mechanisms, arguing that unregulated dynamic pricing led to discriminatory and unpredictable ticket costs.

[Laxminarayanan v Union of India]