Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Pic credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: Union agriculture minister and ex-MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan found himself facing an uncomfortable journey Saturday when he was allotted a
broken seat
on an Air India flight from Bhopal to Delhi. His experience reignited concerns about Air India’s service standards, while the airline attempts to improve its operations under Tata Group‘s ownership.
Expressing his frustration on X, he wrote: “Today, (Feb 22) I had to come from Bhopal to Delhi… I had booked a ticket on Air India flight number AI 436. I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. Sitting was uncomfortable.” Chouhan was allotted the seat despite the crew informing the management about the
unserviceable seat
& requesting it not be sold. “Is this not cheating passengers?” he asked.
DGCA slaps notice on Air India after it sold broken seat to Chouhan
Shivraj Singh Chouhan was allotted a broken seat on an Air India flight. The aircraft in question was an Airbus A321 (VT-RTB), just a year old. This raises questions about Air India’s maintenance of even its newest fleet.
Chouhan further said: “I had the belief that after coming under Tata management, Air India’s service must have improved, but this turned out to be my illusion. After charging passengers the full amount, seating them on a bad and uncomfortable seat is unethical. Is this not cheating the passengers?”
Co-passengers offered him their seats, he said. “But why should I trouble another for my comfort? So, I decided to complete my journey in the same seat…,” he posted.
The incident prompted Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu to step in: “We spoke to Air India and instructed them to take necessary action. From our side, DGCA will also be looking into details of matter promptly. And I have personally spoken to Shivraj ji also.” DGCA has now sought a report from Air India regarding the issue. This comes after a 2022 directive from the regulator that instructed the airline not to sell unserviceable seats, following complaints from business-class passengers who were downgraded to economy due to unusable seats.
Air India responded to Chouhan’s post, apologising for the inconvenience. Later, an airline spokesperson issued an official statement: “This does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide to our guests, and we are conducting a thorough investigation into the matter to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”
Supply chain constraints have delayed the repair of Air India’s older aircraft, with the airline stating that its entire narrow-body fleet, like the one Chouhan flew on, is expected to be revamped this year. However, the overhaul of its aging wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft will take an additional two years.
