'Cheating passengers, taking advantage': Shivraj Singh Chouhan blasts Air India for 'broken seat'

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday tore into Air India for being allotted a broken seat during his recent flight and said that he expected it's services to have improved after a takeover by the Tata Group.

Chouhan recently travelled to New Delhi from Bhopal on an Air India flight. The seat he was allotted was broken and "uncomfortable to sit" on, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister stated in a detailed post on X.

Narrating his ordeal, in a post on X, Chouhan said, “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.”

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Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 22, 2025

He added that when he asked the airline staff about the seat allocated to him, they stated that the management was aware of the seat's condition and the ticket to the seat was not supposed to be sold.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted that while his co-passengers offered to change to change seats with him he decided to remain in the same seat and not inconvenience others.

However, he said, "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?"

Chouhan said that he had expected Air India's service to have improved after a takeover by the Tata Group however he was proven otherwise.

He asked the airline, “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 swiftly responded to the Union minister's complaint. "Air India deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to Hon'ble Union Minister, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan ji on his flight from Bhopal to Delhi. This does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide to our guests, and we are conducting a thorough investigation into the matter to ensure that such incidents are not repeated," Air India spokesperson said.