Air India's Broken Seats Fixed with Tape? Ex-NITI Aayog Official Complains Against Tata-Owned Airline

Air India has landed in another controversy over service quality, less than a month after actor and comedian Vir Das voiced similar complaints. This time, a former official from the government think tank NITI Aayog has criticised the Tata Group airline for her unpleasant experience.

Urvashi Prasad, who is a former NITI Aayog director as per her Twitter bio, posted a few photographs on X of broken seats and claimed those to be from Air India. “Broken seats in business class in Air India flight AI 2996 Bombay to Delhi… can only hope the rest of the plane is working," she wrote.

The pictures show that a rectangular panel had come off the business class seat that she had booked.

Taking note of the incident, Air India replied, "Dear Ms Prasad, we're concerned to note this. Your feedback is important to us, and we'll make sure it gets addressed promptly."

In response, dissatisfied Prasad said that Air India crew eventually tried fixing the seat with a tape after she complained and said that "it’s not just about addressing through quick fixes" of a similar kind.

Air India's Recent Controversies

Passengers keep on sharing their unpleasant travel experiences with the domestic airline from time to time. A couple of weeks back, Vir Das complained that despite paying Rs 50,000 per seat for him and his wife, they got a broken table, broken leg rests, and a seat stuck in a reclined position which would not straighten fully. Das also said that his wife, who is recovering from a fractured leg, didn’t receive a wheelchair despite having pre-booked the service.

Last month, Indian-Canadian actor Lisa Ray also slammed Air India for denying a medical waiver for a ticket she had to cancel. She claimed that even after submitting a doctor's letter, since her 92-year-old father was unwell, the airline denied the waiver.

In February, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was allotted a "broken" seat on a flight from Bhopal to Delhi. He alleged that on questioning the staff, Chouhan was told the management had been informed earlier about the condition of the seat.