Chouhan noted that when he queried the airline staff about the poor condition of the seat, they revealed that management had been previously informed about the issue and that such seats should not have been sold.
New Delhi:Air India, now under the Tata Group, is facing harsh criticism from within the government itself. Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in a lengthy post on X, expressed his dismay over broken seats and the dilapidated condition of the airline's aircraft, describing the situation as "cheating passengers." The minister, who had hoped that service quality would improve under Tata’s management, detailed his experience on Air India flight AI436 from Bhopal to Delhi, where he was assigned seat 8C that turned out to be broken and sunken. Despite the offer by co-passengers to change seats, he chose to remain, highlighting the inconvenience and unethical nature of charging full fare for substandard facilities.
Chouhan noted that when he queried the airline staff about the poor condition of the seat, they revealed that management had been previously informed about the issue and that such seats should not have been sold. The minister's remarks have opened a floodgate of similar grievances from passengers, who have also complained about poor quality food, shoddy services, and disinterested staff. Air India promptly issued an apology to the minister, assuring him that the matter is under thorough investigation to prevent future occurrences, and inviting him to discuss the issue further.
In response, Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu contacted Chouhan and instructed Air India to take immediate corrective action, while also directing the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to investigate the complaint. The incident has sparked a broader debate on the state of services in public transport, with the Congress seizing the opportunity to criticise the government for failing to address widespread issues affecting both trains and planes.
