NEW DELHI: Buying a business class ticket on Air India has meant travelling in economy for many passengers thanks to the airline’s old fleet with poorly maintained cabins. Following protests by a London-bound passenger in Amritsar over this issue last month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a probe into the same where it found such complaints to be correct. The regulator has written to airline accountable manager Nipun Aggarwal to synchronise the tickets sold in premium classes with the number of serviceable seats in those cabins and avoid involuntary downgrades to economy.
“In the recent past, a number of business class passengers were downgraded to economy on account of unserviceable seats. DGCA took note of this and conducted an enquiry. We have warned AI from booking more business class passengers than serviceable seats available. Any violation will invite enforcement action,” said DGCA sources. The regulator is learnt to have told Aggarwal in its order that seats not meeting design specifications are not not just about comfort but a safety issue too.
