Canada's transportation regulator has ordered Air Canada to accommodate passengers with severe nut allergies by seating them in new nut-free zones on aircraft.
"The agency has determined that a buffer zone, including an announcement within that zone, is the appropriate accommodation for persons with disabilities due to their allergy to peanuts or nuts," the Canadian Transportation Agency said in its ruling.
The agency had received two complaints from passengers with nut allergies since 2006.
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The three-member panel deemed these allergies to be tantamount to an impairment or disability, which airlines must accommodate.
Air Canada argued it should be up to the passengers to take precautions against exposure to nuts.
But allergy specialists said peanut proteins have been found in commercial airline air filters, demonstrating they may become aerosolised in flight and remain suspended in aircraft cabins.
The regulator said creating a nut-free buffer zone is the best solution, and gave Air Canada 30 days to come up with a recommended size of the buffer.
