img

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has reached out to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan regarding his unpleasant flight experience with Air India and assured him that swift action will be taken.

Earlier, Chouhan took to social media platform X to express his frustration, accusing the airline of "cheating passengers" after he was given a "broken and sunken" seat during his journey from Bhopal to Delhi.

Following Chouhan’s complaint, the Civil Aviation Minister instructed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to look into the issue and recommend immediate corrective measures.

Detailing his experience, Chouhan said he had booked a ticket on Air India flight AI436 and was assigned seat 8C. However, upon sitting down, he realized the seat was damaged and extremely uncomfortable. When he questioned the airline staff, they admitted that the seat was already flagged as defective and should not have been sold. They also acknowledged that several other seats on the flight were in a similar condition.

Despite the inconvenience, Chouhan chose to complete his journey in the broken seat to avoid troubling another passenger. He noted that his fellow travelers even suggested he switch to a better seat, but he declined. Expressing his disappointment, Chouhan remarked that he had expected better service after Tata took over Air India, but his experience proved otherwise.

While Chouhan clarified that his concern was not personal discomfort, he strongly criticized the airline for charging full fare while offering defective seats. "Isn’t this cheating passengers?" he questioned, demanding that Air India take action to prevent such incidents in the future.

After the backlash online, Air India issued an apology to the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.

"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 to ensure such incidents do not recur," the airline said in a statement.

Air India Aviation watchdog Flight safety Broken seat complaint Airline investigation Passenger rights Air travel issues Aircraft maintenance Civil aviation authority Airline service quality Flight experience Aircraft safety check Air India controversy Aviation news update Airline passenger experience Travel safety concerns Aviation regulatory body Airline customer complaints In-flight seat issues Airline industry news Regulatory investigation Air India flight problems Passenger safety concerns Indian aviation news Aircraft seating issues