Air India Passengers Say Forced to Fly on Broken Seats, No Seatbelts

"Air India authorities forced me and my minor children to travel on an international flight without a seatbelt. Many of their seats were not operational and when I asked them how can we travel on a long flight with non-operational seats and seatbelts they literally threatened us. They asked us to either travel or just get off the flight," stated Sugandha.

Sugandha Mehta and her husband Gaurav Virmani have alleged that Air India operated an international flight with numerous broken seats lacking functional seatbelts and coerced passengers into signing an undertaking to travel on the same flight while seated in faulty seats. The couple was travelling on Air India flight AI 189 from New Delhi to Toronto on March 27, 2025, along with their two daughters, aged four and ten, when the incident occurred.

Sugandha had booked four business class tickets for her family. However, at the check-in counter, she was informed that one of the assigned seats was non-operational and the seatbelt was not functional. "This is so shocking. Probably one of the worst travel experiences of our lives," said Sugandha.

"After a lot of pleading, they finally agreed to provide operational seats but asked us to sit separately. My minor daughters, my husband, and I were to be seated in different parts of the aircraft. However, this time, instead of rectifying the error, they gave us more seats that were not working. Two of the four seats were non-operational. The seatbelts were zip-tied together, and a sticker on the seat read ‘Do not use. Seat out of service’. The flight was also delayed for about three hours," she added.

Gaurav also recounted the ordeal. Speaking to The Probe, he said, "We were utterly surprised to see that many of the seats on that flight were non-operational. The seats were out of service, non-reclining, and the seatbelts were not working. It was shocking to see that many other passengers were facing the same issue. They were literally asking minor children to travel on a 15-hour flight without a seatbelt. How do they expect minor children, seated away from their parents on non-operational seats, to travel on long flights without seatbelts to brave the turbulence?"

 "Rope in Place of Seatbelt on Air India Flight"

Sugandha has filed a formal complaint against the airlines with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India and with Canadian civil aviation authorities. In her complaint, she has alleged that the airlines had compromised the safety of her family, citing gross negligence, "lack of transparency, coercive conduct and verbal harassment" during the international flight. "Multiple business class seats were inoperable in the flight and the seats lacked a functional seatbelt and a rope had been used in place of an approved restraint system," the complaint stated.

"We had to finally give in and travel the entire distance from New Delhi to Canada with non-operational seats and without a seatbelt," Sugandha added.

Describing the events at the airport, she said they were initially informed at the counter that one of the seats was not operational and were offered compensation. "That compensation was not even 10 percent of the money we spent on the tickets," she said. According to her, Air India staff presented a consent form stating that the passengers were agreeing to a partial refund and accepting to travel on the same flight with the same seats. "We straightaway denied. We said we are not going to risk this kind of travel. We were not even given any other option. It was like — sign and travel or get off the flight," she said.

Faced with a delayed flight and no alternatives, the family requested a written acknowledgement that the seats were non-operational and that they were travelling under compulsion. However, she said that when the airline staff returned with the written note, it merely stated that they had accepted the compensation and agreed to travel, without mentioning the non-operational seats and the fact that the passengers were not given any other option but to travel on broken seats without seatbelts. "They didn’t even want to accept the fact that their seats were non-operational. They just wanted to brush it under the carpet," said Gaurav, speaking to The Probe.

Ultimately, the family did not sign the consent form but boarded the flight. They documented their experience with photographs and videos of the aircraft's interior and have decided to pursue the matter with both Canadian and Indian aviation regulators.

Jamaican Minister Writes to UN Against Air India

The family said the only positive experience during their ordeal was the presence of Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport, who was also travelling on the same flight. "He was very courteous and supportive. He even offered his seat to us and took up the matter with the airline authorities, questioning how such faulty seats could be allotted to passengers," said Sugandha.

Following the flight, Vaz wrote a letter to Christopher Barks, Regional Director of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) office in Mexico. ICAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations that sets global standards and recommended practices for civil aviation safety, security, efficiency, and environmental protection.

In his letter, Vaz stated: "I write in my capacity as the Minister of Transport to formally report an unfortunate and unacceptable incident on Air India Flight No. AI189 on March 27, 2025. The flight was delayed by nearly three hours since some seven or eight Business Class seats were inoperable (broken). This led to complaints from several passengers who demanded a full refund for the business tickets they had purchased for the flight. To make matters worse, there was one seat that was not only broken but the seatbelt was tied by a piece of rope as it too was broken and not able to be used by the passenger. There was an extended delay of the flight, as the Air India ground staff was insisting that passengers affected signed a waiver form which would essentially give them somewhere between US$200 and US$300 for a US$5,000 to US$6,000 business class seat. This was flatly rejected by the affected passengers... I find this situation from a safety perspective, to be alarming, especially in light of the fact that there was turbulence for much of the flight for which the passengers were travelling without the use of seatbelts.”

Vaz also noted that this was not an isolated incident. In his letter, he referenced a news article published in The Hindu on February 22, 2025, with the headline: "Union Minister Shivraj Chouhan hits out at Air India for ‘broken seat’; airline apologises."

He further wrote: "As this aircraft has been, and is operating in the NACC Region, I hereby recommend that these safety breaches are investigated by the Appropriate Authority, to eliminate the risk to which passengers are being exposed even in Business Class. Further, I must point out that the aircraft was dirty and in need of full sanitisation.”

No Response from Air India

Sugandha and Gaurav have claimed that despite sending a formal letter to the airlines highlighting the incident, they have not received any response so far. "Our lawyer has issued a legal notice to the airlines regarding the matter. But so far, there has been complete silence from their side. It is extremely disappointing that an airline of this stature has not even acknowledged our complaint," said Sugandha. 

She further explained that during the flight, she noticed that she was not alone in her concerns. "Just next to me, there were at least 10 other passengers whose business class seats were also not operational. Many of them were clearly upset and uncomfortable, but they were eventually coerced into signing a consent form agreeing to compensation. We refused to sign because we believed that this was not a matter to be quietly settled with money. This is about public safety. The airlines must acknowledge the seriousness of this situation and accept responsibility and accountability for their actions," she added.

Raising deeper concerns, Gaurav posed an important question. "If the seats — which are external and visible parts of the aircraft — are in such poor condition and are not maintained properly, how can passengers have any confidence that the critical components of the aircraft, such as the engine, landing gear, or navigation systems, are being adequately serviced? Aircraft maintenance is not limited to the engines alone. Every component, big or small, needs to meet strict safety standards. As a passenger, I now have serious concerns about the overall airworthiness of Air India's fleet," he stated.

The couple's letter to the airlines not only demanded an explanation but also called for immediate action. "We have asked the airline authorities to ground any aircraft that has faulty seating or non-functional seatbelts. This is a significant safety hazard, especially during turbulence or emergency situations. How can a Captain legally take off a flight when there are passengers — including minor children — seated without proper restraints? This is not a minor technical issue. This is a direct violation of passenger safety norms," said Gaurav. He stressed that regulatory authorities must step in. "The airlines must face penalties for such lapses, and there must be an independent audit of their fleet. This case should serve as a strong example, so that no airline can compromise passenger safety without consequences," he added.

Meanwhile, The Probe reached out to Air India’s media cell and also sent queries to the airline’s nodal officer requesting their response to the allegations. This story will be updated as soon as we receive a response from Air India.

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