The Delhi High Court has refused to pass any directions to regulate the prices of plane tickets, stating that an auto rickshaw fare was more than the airline fare today.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed the order on Friday, while dismissing two petitions seeking capping of airfares.
Terming the airline industry as well-regulated and highly-competitive, the Bench remarked that stray incidents did not require the court to entertain public interest litigations (PILs) on the issue.
It further said that market forces will decide the pricing [of air tickets].
Filed by Advocate Amit Sahni and one Bejon Kumar Misra, the petitions sought directions to cap airfares across the country so that customers were not “fleeced arbitrarily” by airlines.
Sahni requested the Court to frame guidelines and prevent the airline companies from charging arbitrarily, irrationally and exorbitantly for flights.
Misra, on the other hand, asked the High Court to cap the prices of air tickets in the public interest.
He also moved an application demanding that the passengers affected by the suspension of Jet Airways flights receive their refunds and adequate compensation.
Appearing for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Advocate Anjana Gosain submitted that the authority had filed a detailed affidavit in the matter.
Gosain said that the fares depend on the routes as well as the availability of planes. At times, there were only three passengers in a plane and yet it flew.
After considering the submissions, the High Court disposed of the PILs.