DGCA mandates airlines to allocate seats for children under 12 with parents/guardians

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a directive on Tuesday, mandating airlines to allocate seats for children aged up to 12 years with at least one of their parents or guardians travelling on the same Passenger Name Record (PNR). 

The aviation watchdog also instructed airlines to maintain records of these seat allocations.

“Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents/guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR and a record of the same shall be maintained,” said DGCA.

According to the directive, airlines must ensure that children up to the age of 12 are assigned seats alongside at least one of their parents or guardians who are travelling on the same PNR. The DGCA emphasized the importance of maintaining records of these seat allocations to ensure compliance with the mandate.

The directive comes in response to recent incidents where children under 12 years of age were not seated with their parents on flights. 

Such occurrences raised concerns about the safety and well-being of unaccompanied minors during air travel, prompting the DGCA to issue this directive to safeguard the interests of young passengers and ensure their proper care and supervision while flying.