Bombay High Court permits airlines to allow passengers on middle seats

Bombay High Court has said that it is prima facie convinced that the safety and health of passengers on board air planes is adequately taken care of. 

A division bench of Justices S. J. Kathawalla and S. P. Tavade refused to accept the contentions raised in a petition filed by Air India pilot Deven Kanani, who had said, the middle seats of all international and domestic flights should be kept vacant to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. While permitting airlines to allow passengers to occupy middle seats, the court said, they must strictly comply with guidelines issued by Directorate General of



Civil Aviation to prevent spread of the Coronavirus.

The bench noted that all precautionary measures, as stipulated with regard to passengers and the crew, are being complied with by all flight operators. The court noted that a high-level Expert Committee of the Ministry of Civil Aviation has specifically considered and rejected the suggestion that seats must be kept vacant between passengers. It observed that a person occupying a window seat may get out to use the washroom, while he is likely to touch the person sitting on the aisle.