Air India Passenger Finds Sharp Metal Blade In His Food; Airline Says It Came From...

In a shocking incident, a passenger of an Air India flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco found a piece of metal blade in his meal. Sharing his ordeal on X, the passenger said that he realised the presence of the blade in his food only after chewing the grub for a few seconds, which he spat out instantly, and added that he was safe.

Confirming the incident, a spokesperson for the airline later blamed a vegetable processing machine for the same. Tata Group-run Air India was once considered the ‘Maharajaa’ of hospitality in the Indian aviation sector.

‘Metal Blade In Food’

Social media user Mathures Paul took to X to share his in-flight horror story and said the incident tarnished the image of Air India as a brand.

“Air India food can cut like a knife. Hiding in its roasted sweet potato and fig chaat was a metal piece that looked like a blade. I got a feel of it only after chewing the grub for a few seconds. Thankfully, no harm was done,” he wrote on X.

“Of course, the blame squarely lies with Air India’s catering service but the incident doesn’t help the image of Air India. What if the metal piece was in the food served to a child?” he further asked.

Paul also shared the two pictures showing the metal piece that he spat out and the other of the meal when it was served to him.

Airline’s Response

Initially, Air India responded to Paul’s post on X and said, “Dear Mr Paul, we are sorry to know about this. This does not represent the level of service we aim to provide to our passengers. Please DM us your booking details along with your seat number. We’ll ensure this matter is promptly reviewed and addressed.”

Later giving an explanation of the incident, the airline said the blade came from a vegetable processing machine used at one of the facilities of its catering partner.

“Air India confirms that a foreign object was found in the meal of a guest aboard one of our flights. After investigation, it has been identified as coming from the vegetable processing machine used at the facilities of our catering partner. We have worked with our catering partner to strengthen measures to prevent any recurrence, including more frequent checking of the processor especially after chopping of any hard vegetable,” said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.

Other Recent Fiascos

This came days after an Air India passenger on Saturday took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise the airline after experiencing a horrific journey in a business class seat from New Delhi to Newark, New Jersey, United States.

Calling it “no less than a nightmare,” Vineeth K, a self-identified small-time investor, alleged that his flight (AI 105) was delayed by 25 minutes and featured worn-off and unclean seats.

Earlier the airline was also fined Rs 1 lakh for defective seats in Delhi-Toronto return flights.