Airlines To Offer 60% Flight Seats Without Additional Charge From April 20

Airlines will start offering at least 60 per cent of seats in a flight without levying any additional charge from April 20, as well as maintain a transparent seat allocation policy, according to aviation watchdog DGCA.

On March 18, the civil aviation ministry announced that directions have been issued to the DGCA to direct airlines to allocate a minimum of 60 per cent of seats for selection on any flight free of charge to ensure fair access for passengers.

According to a news in NDTV, In this regard, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the amended Air Transport Circular dated March 20.

A DGCA official said the circular would come into effect from April 20.

The regulator has said that airlines should ensure at least “60 per cent of the seats in any flight shall be offered free of charge”.

“Airlines should maintain transparent seat allocation policies and clearly communicate the availability of free seats and applicable conditions on their booking interfaces,” as per a revised circular dated March 20.

Also, the regulator has said that passengers travelling on the same PNR (Passenger Name Record) should, as far as practicable, be allotted seats in close proximity to one another, ordinarily meaning adjacent seats in the same row.
(updated on 29th march 2026)