Airlines to offer at least 60% free seating from April 20: DGCA

NEW DELHI: Come April 20, and airlines will need to offer at least 60% seats on a flight without any selection charge. Passengers travelling on the same PNR should, as far as practical, be allotted seats close to one another, meaning adjacent seats in the same row, the DGCA has said, while asking airlines to have a transparent seat allocation policy.

On March 18, 2026, Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu had directed that airlines should offer at least 60% seats on any flight without any selection charge, and passengers travelling on the same PNR — who are usually family members or travelling in a group — will need to be seated together, “preferably on adjacent seats.”

To enforce this, the DGCA on March 20 issued an amended order that came into effect a month later. “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. DGCA has said the circular will take effect 30 days from its issuance date.

At present, 20% seats can be booked free of charge, while the rest are paid. Airlines usually charge between Rs 200 and Rs 2,100 for seat selection. The DGCA’s revised circular says all relevant charges for optional services relating to sports equipment or musical instruments, including any liability conditions in case of damage, should be displayed in a transparent and unambiguous manner on airline websites and booking platforms.

While passengers have long frowned at the separate charges levied by airlines, low-cost airlines say their model is based on unbundling and allows people to pay for the service they choose to opt for.