NEW DELHI: NCP MP Supriya Sule on Friday criticised Air India for its persistent flight delays, calling the situation “unacceptable.”
In a post on X, Sule wrote: “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.”

Sharing her own experience, she added: “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 @RamMNK to enforce stricter regulations to hold airlines like @airindia accountable for repeated delays and ensure better service standards for passengers.”
Responding to Sule’s complaint, Air India issued a statement acknowledging the frustration caused by delays while attributing them to operational challenges.

“Dear Ma’am, we recognize 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,” the airline wrote.
Mohali Consumer Court Penalises Air India
In a separate incident, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Mohali imposed a fine of ?60,500 on Air India for delaying the refund of a canceled ticket. The commission also directed the airline to refund the pending amount of Rs 1,12,480 with 9% annual interest within 30 days. If the airline fails to comply, the interest rate on the due amount will increase to 12% per annum.
The order, pronounced by commission president S.K. Agarwal and member Paramjit Kaur, also mandated Air India to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation for mental agony and litigation costs.
The case was filed by Mohali resident Joginder Kaur, who had booked a return ticket from New Delhi to Toronto in March 2021 for Rs 1,79,403. Her legal representatives, advocates Tejwinder Singh Gill and Babalpreet Singh, argued that despite canceling the ticket in a timely manner, Air India failed to provide a full refund.