DGCA calls meeting with Air India over Shivraj Chouhan’s seat complaint

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has called a meeting with Air India next Monday on the complaint of an uncomfortable seat by Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan when he flew Bhopal-Delhi last Saturday. As sought by the regulator, the airline submitted its report on the issue on Monday. It is learnt that AI has said the seat was not broken and was reclining properly. But being the lighter lean cushioned seat that airlines choose to keep aircraft weight low and cut on fuel burn, it might have felt sunken.
The regulator is likely to sensitise AI on ensuring passenger comfort. “The seat allotted to the former Madhya Pradesh CM was checked by AI engineering and found to be alright, while being leanly cushioned. There were issues with some other seats on the Airbus A321, about 35, on the aircraft but not the minister’s seat,” say people in the know.
Sources say since Chouhan’s ticket was booked close to flight departure time, AI could not allot a front row seat for him — something that airlines regularly do for dignitaries.
The former Madhya Pradesh CM had said on X Saturday after the flight: “I had booked a ticket on AI 436. I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. Sitting was uncomfortable.… Not just one, there are more such seats….” It is learnt that a number of seats had “sunken” or thinned cushioning.
Air travel is becoming increasingly common in India since the advent of low cost carriers here two decades back and is no longer a luxury. The comfort factor once associated with flying is gradually giving way to a more frugal onboard experience as airlines globally — both full service and low cost — cut costs to stay afloat. Light seats with low cushioning on aircraft are one of the new realities of contemporary aviation.
The regulator has in the past asked airlines not to sell unserviceable seats.