‘Spoke to Air India’: Civil Aviation Minister after Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s broken seat complaint

NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday swiftly responded to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s complaint about a broken seat on an Air India flight. Naidu immediately instructed Air India to take necessary action and personally spoke to Chouhan to address the issue.

“We spoke to Air India immediately on this issue and instructed them to take necessary action. From our side, DGCA will also be looking into the details of the matter promptly. And I have personally spoken to Shivraj ji also”, said Naidu.

Notably, Shivraj Singh Chouhan had tweeted about his disappointing experience, stating that the seat was “sunk in” and uncomfortable. He also expressed frustration that Air India’s service hadn’t improved despite Tata taking over the management.

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

Sharing his experience on X, he wrote, “Today I had to come from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and discuss with the representatives of the Kisan Organisation in Chandigarh. I had booked a ticket on Air India flight number AI436, I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. It was uncomfortable to sit”.

He also questioned Air India’s management, saying, “When I asked the airline staff why the seat was allotted to me if it was bad, they told me that the management had been informed earlier that this seat was not good and its ticket should not be sold. There is not just one seat but many more”.

Chouhan expressed further disappointment with Air India’s service after Tata took over, and wrote, “My impression was that Air India’s service would have improved after Tata took over the management, but it turned out to be my misconception. I don’t care about sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount. Isn’t this cheating the passengers?”

He urged corrective action, saying, “Will the Air India management take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in future, or will it continue to take advantage of the passengers’ compulsion to reach their destination early?”

Air India apologized for the inconvenience and assured that they are looking into the matter to prevent similar occurrences in the future.In response, Air India apologised on X, and said, “Dear Sir, we apologise 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’.”

मोदी सरकार ने हर सेक्टर का भट्ठा बैठा दिया है.

• रेल में यात्री परेशान हैं
• प्लेन में यात्री परेशान हैं

लोग शिकायत करते रहते हैं, वीडियो बनाते रहते हैं, लेकिन कोई सुनवाई नहीं होती.

अब शिवराज जी को दिक्कत हुई है तो ट्वीट कर रहे हैं, हो सकता है इसपर एक्शन भी लिया जाए.… https://t.co/NCr244ypmT

— Congress (@INCIndia) February 22, 2025

The incident sparked a reaction from the Congress party, which criticized the government’s handling of issues in the aviation and railway sectors. In a post on X, Congress said, “Passengers are troubled in trains, passengers are distressed on planes. People keep complaining and keep making videos, but there is no hearing. Now, since Shivraj ji has a problem, he is tweeting — maybe action will be taken on this”.

Targeting the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Congress added, “But the situation is not going to improve, because any system is fixed from the top. And on top of that, there is no time to beat the drum of ‘sab changa si’. People suffer”. (ANI)