Airlines don’t charge passengers arbitrarily, regulator tells HC

Aviation regulator DGCA has claimed in the Delhi high court that the airlines do not charge their customers arbitrarily and exorbitantly at the time of agitations in any state of India.

The submission was made by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before a bench headed by acting chief justice Gita Mittal, which was hearing a plea seeking capping of airfares across the country so that passengers are not fleeced by airlines.

Opposing the plea, the DGCA has told court that in emergency situations, transportation by road and by rail are affected and only air transportation is available due to which the demand for air travel increases manifold leading to rise in fares.

“However, it is denied that the charges are irrational or arbitrary as the same are governed by the market forces, availability and circumstances,” the DGCA has said in its affidavit filed in the court.

The regulator’s response came in the backdrop of a notice issued to it by the court seeking its stand regarding the claims made in the plea. The PIL filed through advocate Amit Sahni has urged the court to direct the authorities to frame “guidelines so as to put a cap on airfares and prevent the private airlines from charging arbitrarily, irrationally and exorbitantly for air flights.”

According to the petitioner, he had filed an RTI application seeking information regarding airfares and the Civil Aviation Ministry had replied that the rates were not controlled by the government.