The Ministry of Civil Aviation suspended a recent directive on **Thursday, April 2, 2026**. Under this directive, Indian airlines were to provide free choice of at least **60% seats** in every domestic flight without any extra charges. This provision has “**been put on hold until further orders**” pending a comprehensive review.

This original order came from a communication issued by the Ministry on **March 18, 2026**, directing the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure fair access for passengers. DGCA had issued a revised air transport circular on March 20, which was to come into effect from **April 20, 2026**. Its objective was to significantly increase the share of free seats compared to the current trend. The current trend is that airlines generally provide only 5-20% of the seats at no extra charge, while charging anything from ₹200 to over ₹2,000 for premium seats like front row or window seats.

The withdrawal followed applications from **Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA)** — which represents major airlines like IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet — and **Akasa Air**. Airlines raised operational and commercial concerns, including potential disruption to the fare structure and incompatibility with India’s deregulated fare regime for ancillary services.

In a letter dated April 2 to the DGCA, it was made clear that other provisions of the March circular would remain unaffected. These include mandatory sharing of seating arrangements for passengers booked under the same Passenger Name Record (PNR), transparent policies for carrying sports equipment, musical instruments and pets, and clear disclosure of all applicable charges.

Additionally, the government announced the imposition of a **25% cap** on the monthly increase in **aviation turbine fuel (ATF)** prices for domestic flights. The move is aimed at protecting airlines and passengers from steep increases in costs caused by fluctuations in global oil prices and tensions in West Asia. Both these decisions appear to be to reducing the financial pressure on the industry amid rising fuel costs.