Centre finalises airfare pricing rules, to publish them within 2 weeks

" The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for November 16 and directed the government to place the finalised rules before it by that date. Supreme Court had earlier warned airlines over fare rules During a hearing in August, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to ground airlines that failed to follow the rules. At the time, the government had told the court that the rules to regulate airfares would be finalised within three weeks.

The court's observation came after the Civil Aviation Ministry told it that airlines had been receiving office memorandums on airfare pricing until the formal rules were ready. However, the ministry said airlines were not following these directions. The Supreme Court had also examined the draft rules submitted by the government in a sealed cover. Earlier, on February 23, the Supreme Court raised concerns over sharp increases in airfares during festivals and holidays, calling the issue a serious concern.

While hearing the PIL, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta had directed the Centre to file an affidavit within four weeks, explaining the steps being taken to address the concerns raised in the petition. “This is a very serious concern. Otherwise, we don’t entertain Article 32 petition [for enforcement of fundamental rights],” the bench observed. The case dates back to November 2025, when the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre and other authorities on a plea seeking binding rules to control unpredictable changes in airfares and additional charges imposed by private airlines.

The court agreed to hear the petition seeking an independent regulator to ensure transparency and protect passengers across the civil aviation sector. Rising fuel costs make affordable airfares difficult On October 15, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said the government wanted airfares to remain affordable, but sharp changes in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices were making this difficult.

The minister said the government was discussing the issue with oil marketing companies (OMCs) and airlines. He stressed that fuel suppliers needed to support the aviation sector and that airlines should prepare a clear plan to deal with the challenges. Rising fuel costs have put pressure on airlines across the world, forcing carriers to raise ticket prices, cut flights and reduce spending.