The Centre on Friday (October 16, 2026) informed the Supreme Court that administrative approval had been granted for new aviation rules framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 (2024 Act) to regulate volatile airfares and predatory pricing, and that they were likely to be published within two weeks.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by social activist S. Laxminarayan seeking binding regulatory norms to curb arbitrary airfare pricing and ancillary charges levied by private airlines during festive periods, holidays and emergencies. The Bench asked Mr. After examining them, the Bench had noted that although a regulatory mechanism had been proposed, there was still no clarity on an effective regulator.
Mehta to place the rules before the court before the next date of hearing on November 16.
Earlier, the court had urged the Union government to examine measures to “rationalise” airfares, pointing to the stark disparities in fares charged by different airlines for the same routes. In an affidavit filed before the court, the Union government had said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA were at an “advanced stage” of finalising rules under the 2024 Act to replace the Aircraft Rules, 1937. It had said the authorities were “making every effort” to “fast-track” the process in view of the “emerging scenario”.
The Union government had subsequently placed the draft rules before the Bench in a sealed cover, while informing the court that final deliberations were still underway.
