DGCA Seeks Response From Air India Within 24 Hours Over Shivraj Chouhan's Broken Seat Complaint

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has demanded a response from Air India, its pilot, and crew regarding the incident involving Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who claimed he was assigned a broken seat during a recent flight from Bhopal to New Delhi. The DGCA has asked for a reply within a day, according to sources from Republic.

This development comes as Chouhan shared his experience on social media, criticising the airline for assigning him a defective seat during his journey. He accused the airline of deceiving passengers with such practices.

In a detailed post on X, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister recounted that while he was travelling to inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, he was allotted seat 8C, which was broken and sunken in.

“Today, I had to travel from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and discuss key issues with representatives of the Kisan Organization in Chandigarh.

“I had booked a ticket on Air India flight AI436 and was allotted seat 8C. However, when I sat down, I found the seat was broken and sunken in, making it extremely uncomfortable.”

The minister further mentioned that he noticed several other seats in the same condition.

“When I asked the airline staff why I was given a defective seat, they admitted that the management had already been informed about its condition and that its ticket should not have been sold. Moreover, it was not just one seat—many others were in a similar condition,” he continued.

Despite being offered a better seat by co-passengers, he continued to complete his journey in the same seat.

“Some co-passengers suggested I switch to a better seat, but I didn’t want to inconvenience another traveler, so I decided to complete my journey in the same seat.”

Chouhan also expressed disappointment in Air India’s service post-Tata takeover, saying he had expected improvements but was let down.

“I had believed that Air India’s service would improve after Tata took over its management, but I was mistaken.”

He expressed his concerns, calling this “unethical” and saying it was cheating passengers.

“While I can tolerate discomfort, it is unethical to charge passengers the full fare while making them sit in damaged and uncomfortable seats. Isn’t this cheating the passengers?”

Chouhan also urged Air India’s management to prevent such issues in the future.

“Will Air India’s management take steps to prevent such inconveniences in the future, or will it continue to exploit passengers who have no choice but to reach their destinations on time?”

In response, Air India apologized to Chouhan for the inconvenience caused and assured him that the matter would be investigated carefully.

The airline stated, “Dear Sir, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please 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.”