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Air India had to apologize on the doorstep of Parliament for the bad experience during air travel and then calling the complaints of MPs false. Congress MP K.C. After Venugopal raised the issue of breach of privilege, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha has taken a tough stance. Today, he summoned the CEO and top officials of Air India and not only reprimanded them severely, but also gave strict instructions for the future that such a mistake should not be repeated. In front of the Speaker and in the presence of the complaining MP, the CEO of Air India admitted his mistake and apologized.
New Delhi: There has been an outcry from Parliament to the Aviation Ministry over the breath-taking experience in the air and the subsequent irresponsible attitude of the airline. Congress general secretary and MP K.C. was on board the Air India flight coming from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi. Now the Speaker of the Lok Sabha has taken strict cognizance of what happened to Venugopal and many other MPs. Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the Lok Sabha Speaker summoned the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air India and other top officials to the Parliament House. In this high level meeting held in a closed room, the speaker has warned the management of Air India in a strict tone. According to sources, the Speaker said in clear words that playing with the safety of MPs and common passengers will not be tolerated and such a mistake should not be repeated in future.
In the complaint written to the Speaker, the MPs had said that on August 10, they were going from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on an Air India flight. The flight left at around 8:30 instead of the scheduled time of 7:15. There was intense turbulence during the journey and passengers were asked to fasten their seat belts. Even basic services like food were not provided. During the flight, the pilot announced weather radar failure and asked to divert the plane to Chennai.
MPs raised questions as to why distant Chennai was chosen instead of the nearby airports of Bengaluru/Coimbatore, that too allegedly in flying blind condition. On reaching Chennai the plane kept circling for more than an hour. The first landing attempt required a dangerous low-altitude go-around, possibly due to another aircraft on the runway. Safe landing took place in the second attempt.
The passengers were sent to Delhi by another plane after midnight. After the incident, the MPs highlighted the security and procedural lapses on social media, but it is alleged that Air India released their statement publicly terming it as false/misleading, thereby trying to tarnish the image of the elected MPs.
what happened next
There was talk of this meeting in the corridors of Parliament since this morning. After Venugopal’s complaint, the Speaker took immediate action and called the top management of Air India. KC himself was present in the meeting. Venugopal was also present, who presented his side. According to sources, the atmosphere during the meeting was quite serious. The Speaker sought details of that incident from Air India officials and asked how the airline declared the MPs’ complaint false? Seeing the speaker’s strict warning and displeasure, the CEO of Air India apologized on the spot. He assured that the safety of passengers and the protocol of MPs and their complaints will be taken seriously and such negligence or lack of communication will not happen in future.
The harrowing experience we faced on our flight from Trivandrum to Delhi (AI2455) should serve as yet another wake up call for Air India, DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry to address the glaring lapses that result in such grave incidents.
