‘Don’t Travel by Air’: Supreme Court Declines Urgent Hearing on Plea Alleging 700% Airfare Hike

The bench reportedly told the petitioner’s counsel, “Don’t travel by air. Next case.” The 700% figure is the petitioner’s claim, not a finding.

The Supreme Court on November 2 declined to list urgently a plea alleging that domestic airfares have risen by nearly 700% ahead of the festive season. According to Moneycontrol, Justice Vikram Nath responded to the petitioner’s counsel with the remark “Don’t travel by air. Next case.” No order was passed on the submission.

The court did not rule on the legality of airline pricing. It only declined an urgent listing.

What the plea argued

As reported, the matter was mentioned before a three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh. The petitioner’s lawyer said airfares had gone up by as much as 700%, that air travel is an essential service, and that such pricing raises concerns under Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law. The Indian Express and The New Indian Express also covered the hearing.

The petitioner accepts that airlines can pass on higher operating costs but says demand-driven pricing that lifts fares to several times normal levels needs more regulatory oversight. The problem is sharpest in festive periods, when people heading home have little flexibility on dates and flight times. Passengers have raised concerns about last-minute prices ahead of Diwali, Chhath Puja and the year-end holidays, with fares on some routes reportedly rising several times above usual levels.

The separate PIL on airfare regulation

The Supreme Court is already hearing a different public interest litigation, filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan, which seeks a regulatory mechanism for unpredictable airfares and the extra charges private airlines levy. The court issued notice on the plea in November 2025.

The court has spoken on the issue before:

• In January 2026, it raised concern about the steep rise in airfares during festivals.
• In February, it called the situation a matter of “very serious concern”, Bar & Bench reported.
• On May 15, it asked the government to rationalise fares, citing one airline charging ₹8,000 and another ₹18,000 for a similar economy seat on the same day.

The new aviation rules

The Centre has been framing rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024. Deccan Herald reported that draft rules were placed before the bench in a sealed cover. According to your source, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026 has been notified and takes effect on January 1, 2027. It broadly leaves airfares to market forces while keeping the government’s power to step in under extraordinary circumstances in the public interest. The court has asked the Centre to place the notified rules before it at the next hearing in the airfare regulation matter, listed for November 16, 2026.

The larger question

Airlines operate in a market-driven setting with changing fuel and operating costs, while passengers want more transparency and predictability in ticket prices. Whether the new framework protects against extreme price swings is the question the pending case and the rules’ implementation will help answer.

Sources:  Moneycontrol, The Indian Express, The New Indian Express, ETV Bharat, News On AIR, Bar & Bench, Outlook Money, Deccan Herald. The 700% increase is the petitioner’s claim.