NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging “opaque, exploitative and algorithm-driven” pricing practices in India’s civil aviation sector, and questioning the reduction in complimentary check-in baggage limits for passengers.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought responses from the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERAI) within four weeks, after hearing the plea filed by social activist S. Laxminarayanan.
Senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, appearing for the petitioner along with AoR Charu Mathur and advocate Abhinav Verma, submitted that air travel, recognised as an essential service under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, has become increasingly unaffordable due to “unregulated, unpredictable and exploitative” fare mechanisms.