20 August,2016 08:12 AM IST | | Neha LM Tripathi
Of the 66 international aircraft, seats of 40 per cent Air India planes found unserviceable, these will now be rectified; interiors, luggage racks, AC will also be improved
Look forward to better seating as Air India seems to have decided to pay attention to the interiors of its aircraft. During checks, officials realised that out of the 66 international aircraft that they fly, the seats of a good 40 per cent were unserviceable, causing inconvenience to passengers.
A seat being repaired at Air India's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul unit at Nagpur
Sources said that the seats were in a terrible condition especially for those who have to travel for over 9 hours. Problems ranged from non-reclining seats to torn seat covers, also non-functioning television screens behind the seats. AI plans to rectify these issues and to improve other in-flight matters including interiors, luggage racks and air-conditioning system.
"Due to shortage of funds, the cabin services were not given priority, but the new CMD has decided to take it on par with other engineering issues and maintenance of the aircraft," said a senior Air India official. For a passenger, in-flight services like seats, the curtains, carpet and washroom facilities are very important especially during long journeys. The official also confirmed that the engineering department of the airline has been given the target of year-end to completely makeover the seats. The official said that 40% of the international aircraft had unserviceable seats over a period of time.
Problematic seats
When speaking to engineering officials about the reason for frequent issues faced by the airline towards the maintenance of seats, it was learnt that many of the seats also develop mechanical errors and then need immediate repair. An official from the Engineering Department explained, " Initially whenever such complaints went to the vendor, he wasn't able to supply the spare parts due to the credit hold. However, these unserviceable seats have increased to a considerable number since July."
When asked about the common reasons that lead to unserviceable seats in an aircraft, a senior official from the Engineering Department at Air India Maintenance and Overhaul Facility (Nagpur) explained, "Small things like wrong use of hand held controls, or even a pen falling inside the reclining seat spoil the mechanism of a seat. This makes the seat unserviceable and requires repair."
The airline has also decided to monitor its entertainment materials every month instead of once in two months. Previously Air India had issues with its TV screens which remained blank; most of the time due to technical issues. But now, they will be testing these screens every month.
CMD speak
Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India said, "We are an airline that strives to live up to passengers' expectations and are keen to make them realise this. These initiatives taken for the betterment of the services for passengers will not only make them believe us more, but also help us win them over again. The focus is to have better seat quality, proper reading lights and galleys and other interiors."
