Shivraj Singh Chouhan Blasts Air India Over 'Broken, Sunken' Seats, Airlines Apologises; Congress Taunts

Picture source: ANI

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday slammed Tata Group-owned Air India after being assigned a faulty seat on a flight from Bhopal to Delhi. Chouhan stated that upon questioning airline staff about the issue, he was informed that the management had been notified about the seat's condition in advance and that the ticket should not have been sold. 

Soon after the incident, the airline issued an apology to Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the ‘inconvenience’. It promised a full investigation to prevent such incidents in the future.  

Describing his ordeal on ‘X’, Chouhan 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 honourable 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,” the Union Minister wrote in alleging that not just one but several of seats were found in similar condition.  

“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,” he said. 

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।

मैंने एयर इंडिया की फ्लाइट क्रमांक AI436 में टिकिट करवाया था, मुझे सीट क्रमांक 8C आवंटित हुई। मैं जाकर… — Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 22, 2025

Chouhan briefed how his co-passengers offered their seats, but “why should I trouble another friend for my sake, I decided that I would complete my journey by sitting on this same seat,” he wrote. 

The journey from Bhopal to Delhi by air typically takes around one-and-a-half-hours. 

He further said, “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.” 

Questioning the airlines’ poor service, the BJP leader said, “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. Isn't this cheating the passengers?” 

“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?” his post read.  

Meanwhile, Congress party took a dig on the Modi government over issues in aviation and railways, citing Chouhan’s complaint. 

In a post on X, Congress claimed that passengers continue to face problems across different transport services, but no solutions are provided. 

"Passengers struggle in trains, face trouble on flights. Complaints and videos keep coming, but no one listens. Now that Shivraj ji is affected, he is tweeting—maybe this time action will be taken," the party wrote. 

Targeting the government further, Congress added, "But nothing will change because any system is fixed from the top. And at the top, there is no time beyond claiming ‘all is well.’ The public suffers."