'Worst flight experience': UN diplomat flags Air India's poor services

Air India has come under criticism again amid repeated on-flight incidents. This time, a United Nations diplomat slammed the airline for its poor service and unhygienic cabins. The aggrieved passenger, who was on the airline's New York-New Delhi flight last week, took to Twitter to complain about the presence of cockroaches and the lack of entertainment/call buttons and reading lights.

While complaining about the lack of services, the diplomat tweeted, "As a UN diplomat, I've flown worldwide, but Air India 102 JFK to Delhi was my worst flight experience: broken seats, no entertainment/call buttons/reading lights, and cockroaches. Poison spray. Disregard for customer care." The diplomat also sought clarification as to how Air India flights from New York-Delhi have cockroaches and lack onboard safety equipment.

Soon after the tweet, Air India's Twitter account responded, apologizing for the inconvenience caused to the diplomat. "Dear Sir, we sincerely regret the experience you have had with us. This is not something good to hear. Please help us with your booking details via DM for us to highlight the same to the relevant team for necessary review," AI replied to his tweet.

This is not the first time that passengers on an Air India aircraft have had a bad experience. In 2019, Air India was chastised after a passenger reported seeing a dead cockroach in the breakfast served on a trip from Bhopal to Mumbai. The aircraft also came under fire recently after allegedly disregarding passengers' complaints about peeing incidents.

The recent incident can be viewed as a setback for India's growing aviation sector, which has emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries. Currently, the country is the world's third-largest domestic aviation market, trailing only the United States and China. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, it is expected to surpass the United Kingdom as the third-largest air passenger market by 2024.