Covid-19: Airlines don't have to keep the middle seat vacant, says SC

The apex court dismissed a plea against a Bombay High Court order that allowed middle-seat occupancy on domestic flights

Airlines in India will not have to keep the middle seat vacant, after the Supreme Court upheld a Bombay High Court order on Friday. The apex court held that airlines had followed adequate safety measures to ensure safety of passengers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A two-judge bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Bhushan Gavai of the SC dismissed Air India pilot Deven Kanani's challenge against the Bombay HC order that allowed middle-seat occupancy for all domestic flights.

The pilot had filed special leave petition against a decision by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 31 May, which permitted