Air India was left in an embarrassing situation and had to issue an apology after DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson flagged the poor state of the aircraft he flew in from Chennai to Delhi on Sunday.
In a detailed post on X early Monday, Wilson, who is a Senior Advocate and has served as the Additional Solicitor General of India narrated his horrid experience on Air India flight 538.
"Dear @airindia and @RNTata2000, I want to bring to your attention my recent experience on flight AI 538 from Chennai to Delhi. The flight, which was scheduled for 8:40 pm yesterday, was delayed by one hour due to technical problems with the aircraft. The 777 Boeing aircraft appeared to be quite old, possibly over 25 years old. Inside the flight the fabric seemed old and musty," Wilson said.
The MP added that the tray table on his seat was loose and not resting properly on the armrest, "making it difficult to use for dinner and my iPad". "I had to move to another seat for dinner as the tray table on that seat was also malfunctioning. Additionally, the recliner seat did not work, and the toilets inside the flight were in poor condition. Surprisingly, blankets were not available," he wrote in the post.
Dear @airindia and @RNTata2000,
— P. Wilson (@PWilsonDMK) August 4, 2024
I want to bring to your attention my recent experience on flight AI 538 from Chennai to Delhi. The flight, which was scheduled for 8:40 pm yesterday, was delayed by one hour due to technical problems with the aircraft. The 777 Boeing aircraft… pic.twitter.com/UGGfiPV9sS
Wilson said the issues raised concerns about the aircraft's airworthiness. "It seems that the @DGCAIndia has failed to conduct regular inspections to ensure the plane's and its passengers' safety. This is a concern for almost all aircraft. Honorable Civil Aviation Minister @RamMNK must take serious steps to create an autonomous, independent statutory body to monitor the adherence to the timings, promised facilities inside the aircraft, reasonable airfare, safety, and airworthiness of the aircraft, as well as facilities in the @AAI_Official as well as private airports, and to enforce the same," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Reacting to his post, Air India issued an apology and said it would review the concerns the MP has mentioned. "Dear Mr. Wilson, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we will thoroughly review the concerns you have mentioned. Ensuring the safety and comfort of our passengers is our top priority, and we will take appropriate actions to address these matters," Air India wrote in a comment on Wilson's post.
Dear Mr. Wilson, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we will thoroughly review the concerns you have mentioned. Ensuring the safety and comfort of our passengers is our top priority, and we will take appropriate actions to address these matters.
— Air India (@airindia) August 4, 2024
X Users however said it was a "default AI reply but nothing was going to change. "This is the default AI reply. But nothing is going to change.. Day by day the air India service is getting worse… Last couple of times I was forced to choose Srilankan airways instead of air India which I never did since 2010," one user wrote.
Another said it was a "sugar-coated apology from Air India". "Malfunctioning, safety, cleanliness and punctuality issues in AI aircraft have become the order of the day even in AI international flights. Many passengers except Govt officials do not prefer AI. Will Ratan Tata travel in such flights?" the user asked.
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