Government mandates airlines to reserve 60% of seats free of charge

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has directed all airlines to ensure that at least 60% of seats on every flight are allocated free of charge. The move is aimed at ensuring “fair access”, the Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday (March 18, 2026).

Further, the Ministry has announced a slew of other directives through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to “strengthen passenger convenience, transparency and uniformity of practices across airlines”.

With respect to seat allocation, another directive states that passengers, who book their tickets under the same PNR (Passenger Name Record), must be seated together, “preferably in adjacent seats”.

“Airlines shall also bring out clear, transparent policies for carriage of pets,” the release said. The Ministry has also directed the operators to facilitate “transparent and passenger-friendly” carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments.

Passenger rights framework

The Ministry, in its latest release, urges strict adherence to “passenger rights framework, particularly in cases of delays, cancellations and denied boarding”. The rights framework is expected to get “prominent display” across airline websites, mobile applications, booking platforms, and airport counters.

One of the six directives include “clear communication of passenger entitlements in regional languages to ensure wider accessibility and awareness”.

As Indian airports handle over five lakh passengers daily, “passenger facilitation remains the highest priority” of the Ministry, the MoCA release said.