Centre can step in on airfares in rare cases, say new rules

Learn the stated distinction and keep the two meanings separate. The new rules shift the intervention power on specified tariff-related grounds from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to the Central Government.

Check the reported status and any stated limitations; do not assume an outcome beyond the source.

Use the stated distinction to avoid mixing up different meanings. A new rule, 192(6), however, empowers the Central government itself to issue written directions in the public interest when it considers a situation extraordinary and intervention necessary. The Centre can directly intervene on ticket pricing in extraordinary situations under a new set of aviation rules that also require airlines to disclose cancellation charges and refund conditions separately while displaying airfares to passengers.

• They will come into effect on January 1, 2027, replacing the Aircraft Rules, 1937. • The 2026 rules explicitly include cancellation charges and refund conditions in the list of particulars that must be displayed.