Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Supriya Sule has criticised Air India for delaying her flight by over an hour, urging Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to implement stricter regulations to hold airlines accountable for repeated delays. Sule, who was traveling on Air India flight AI0508, highlighted the persistent issue of flight delays affecting passengers.

“I was travelling on Air India flight AI0508, which was delayed by 1 hour and 19 minutes — part of a continuous trend of delays affecting passengers. This is unacceptable. Urging Hon’ble Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to enforce stricter regulations to hold airlines like Air India accountable for repeated delays and ensure better service standards for passengers.” Sule wrote on X.

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In a follow-up post, she emphasised the widespread impact of such delays on professionals, children, and senior citizens.

“Air India flights are endlessly delayed — this is unacceptable! We pay premium fares, yet flights are never on time. Professionals, children, and senior citizens — all affected by this constant mismanagement. Urging the Civil Aviation Minister to take action and hold Air India accountable,” Sule added.

Air India responds to Sule’s complaint

Responding to her concerns, Air India cited operational issues as the reason for the delay.

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“Dear Ma’am, we recognise that delays can be very frustrating. However, there are occasional operational issues outside of our control that can affect flight schedules. Your flight to Mumbai this evening was delayed by one hour due to such an issue. We appreciate your understanding,” Air India replied on Sule’s post.

This isn’t the first time Air India has faced criticism for its service. Last month, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also raised concerns over an “uncomfortable” seat on an Air India flight, calling out the airline for poor service despite the Tata Group’s takeover.

Air India later apologised for the inconvenience and assured that steps were being taken to improve passenger experience and prevent such issues in the future.