NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday asked airlines to keep middle seats vacant to the extent possible in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
However, if a flyer has been allotted the middle seat due to a high passenger load, “then additional protective equipment like wrap-around gown of the Ministry of Textile approved standards” must be provided to him or her in addition to a three-layered face mask and face shield, a DGCA order, accessed by PTI, said.
While hearing a petition on whether to keep middle seats in flights vacant or not, the Supreme Court on May 25 had said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was free to alter its norms in the interest of public health and safety of passengers “rather than of commercial considerations”.
