A federal minister has accused the Indian flag carrier airline of "cheating passengers" after he was allegedly forced to sit on a broken seat for his journey.
Indian agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan publicly criticised the Air India airline for allotting him a “broken" seat on the flight from Bhopal city to the capital New Delhi.
Mr Singh Chouhan in a post on X alleged that when he asked the airline staff why the seat allotted to him was broken, he was told that the management was selling seat ticket despite being advised against it. He claimed there "many" such broken seats on the aircraft.
"My co-passengers requested me to change my seat and sit on a better seat but why should I trouble another friend for my sake," he said, adding that he continued the journey – estimated to be about 1.5 hours – by sitting on this same seat.
आज मुझे भोपाल से दिल्ली आना था, पूसा में किसान मेले का उद्घाटन, कुरुक्षेत्र में प्राकृतिक खेती मिशन की बैठक और चंडीगढ़ में किसान संगठन के माननीय प्रतिनिधियों से चर्चा करनी है।
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 22, 2025
मैंने एयर इंडिया की फ्लाइट क्रमांक AI436 में टिकिट करवाया था, मुझे सीट क्रमांक 8C आवंटित हुई। मैं जाकर…
Mr Singh Chouhan said his impression that Air India's service would have improved after the Tata group took over the management, but turned out to be false.
"I don't care about discomfort in sitting but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them full amount," he said, adding: "Isn't this cheating the passengers?"
The airline apologised for the "inconvenience" caused to Mr Singh Chouhan and said it was looking into this matter "carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future".
Dear Sir, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be rest assured that we are looking into this matter carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, kindly DM us a convenient time to connect.
— Air India (@airindia) February 22, 2025
"We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, kindly DM us a convenient time to connect," it added.
India's Tata Group took control of state-run carrier Air India – the nation's largest international carrier and second-largest domestic carrier – in 2022, regaining ownership of the airline after nearly 70 years. With the takeover, Indians had hoped for an improved service, but so far they have faced disappointment.
A viral social media video last year revealed a passenger’s “nightmare” first-class experience on Air India, after he found ripped furnishings, dirt around his seat and a broken in-flight entertainment system.
