Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) MP Supriya Sule has attacked Air India for a pattern of repeated delays in flights, calling it "troubling norm" that pins individuals to their seats and into misery. Her latest experience was with a 10:30 PM flight from Delhi, which was delayed twice-first at 11:30 PM and later at 11:45 PM. Sule added that these delays are not isolated incidents but are a part of a consistent trend and affect professionals, children, and old age citizens as well.
She urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu to act fast and provide stricter regulation to penalize the likes of Air India and establish better standards of service for travelers.
Air India responded with a statement that the delay was caused by bad weather at Delhi in the morning, which then caused a ripple effect across their system. The airline valued passengers' patience and promised them that the flight would soon depart.
Sule's attack follows previous grievances over Air India's constant delays, where she stated that passengers pay premium rates but suffer from mismanagement and inconvenience. She has continually called for airlines to be further regulated to improve punctuality and passenger satisfaction.
This issue touches widely among tourists who have undergone similar disruptions and are demanding systemic reforms in airline operations and accountability.
The government's regulatory role in overseeing and monitoring the performance of airlines is also being questioned, with Sule's remark calling attention to the need for an urgent response to restore confidence and reliability in air transportation.
