DGCA seeks response from Air India after minister gets ‘broken seat’

The minister called it “unethical” for the airline to offer broken seats to passengers and said he had hoped for improved service by Air India after its takeover by Tata.

“My impression was that Air India’s service would improve after Tata took over, but it turned out to be my misconception,” Chouhan said in a tweet on Saturday. “I don’t mind discomfort in sitting, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full fare. Isn’t this cheating the passengers?” he added.

“DGCA has sought a response from Air India on the issue of broken seats highlighted by the Union minister,” said an aviation ministry official.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said, “We spoke to the Air India immediately on this issue 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.”

The ministry also spoke to Air India’s CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson.

“We have advised Air India’s CEO to handle the matter on top priority,” a ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) spokesperson said.

An Air India spokesperson issued an apology, saying, “Air India deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji on his flight from Bhopal to Delhi.”

“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,” the spokesperson added.

Describing his ordeal, Chouhan in his tweet said, “Today, I had to travel from Bhopal to Delhi to inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and discuss matters with the honourable representatives of the Kisan Organization in Chandigarh. I had booked a ticket on Air India flight AI436 and was allotted seat 8C. When I sat down, I found the seat was broken and sunken. It was uncomfortable.”

“When I asked the airline staff why such a seat was assigned to me, they told me that the management had been informed earlier that the seat was not in good condition and that its ticket should not have been sold. This is not the only seat like this, there are many others,” he added.

Chouhan mentioned that several co-passengers requested him to switch to a better seat. “But why should I trouble another person for my sake? I decided to complete my journey sitting in the same seat,” he said.

The minister also questioned the airline’s management and said, “Will Air India take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in the future, or will it continue to take advantage of passengers’ compulsion to reach their destinations quickly?”

Air India has recently commenced the retrofit of its legacy aircraft, which includes complete replacement of all seats with new ones and refurbished cabin interiors. The retrofit of the narrow body aircraft is expected to be mostly completed by the middle of this year, while the retrofit of the widebody aircraft will begin shortly and will be completed next year. The retrofit program, scheduled to begin last year, has been delayed due to global supply issues.