APEX COURT LETS AIR INDIA FLY NON-SCHEDULED FLIGHTS TO THEIR FULL CAPACITY TILL JUNE 6

The Supreme Court on Monday permitted Air India to fly full capacity, without leaving middle seat unoccupied, for next 10 days till June 6, however, observing “You should be worried about the health of citizens, not about the health of commercial airlines”.

“We are concerned about the health of the citizens” the Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “why you are objecting? You should be worried about the health of the citizens, not about the health of commercial airlines.”

Relaxing the Bombay High Court order mandating that middle seats would be kept vacant, a bench of Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde, Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice Hrishikesh Roy remanded the matter back to Bombay High Court asking it to pass an “effective interim order after hearing all the concerned” on June 2 — the next date of hearing.

Permitting the national carrier to operate its non-scheduled flights, under Centre’s Vande Bharat Mission, to their full capacity to ferry Indian nationals stranded overseas in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions till June 6, the court however said that “after that (June 6) the Air India will operate non-scheduled flights in accordance with the interim order to be passed by the Bombay HC thereafter”

The court order came in the course of the special sitting held on Eid holiday on a plea, both by the Centre and Air India, against May 22, Bombay HC order directing the national carrier to ensure that the middle seats are kept empty to observe social distancing.