In a rather shocking incident, a passenger on an Air India Bangalore to San Francisco flight found a rather alarming accompaniment with his roasted sweet potato and fig chaat served to him on board. Taking to X, the passenger said that he found a metal blade in his food, which he spat out instantly, and said that he was safe.
"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," the user wrote on X.
He added that the incident tarnished the image of Air India as a brand. He also said that while he was safe, this could have been a medical emergency if the meal was served to a child.
"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? First picture shows the metal piece that I spat out and the second picture shows the meal before it put metal into my life," he further said.
Replying to his grievance, Air India apologised for the incident and assured him that it will ensure that the matter is promptly reviewed and addressed.
The airline 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."
The airline said in an official statement that the object came from a vegetable processing machine used at one of the facilities of its catering partner.
Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India said, "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."
While the airline apologised for the incident, netizens were far from impressed. "Now that's a cutting edge dining experience," a user said. "Horror story! If you are not that attentive it could have been a medical emergency!! Thank God you are fine," another user noted.
"This is also a very serious security threat. How did a blade get mixed with the passengers food and enter through the catering supply? How did it clear anti-sabotage checks which are primary responsibility of the aircraft operator?" a user asked.
Another user shared their experience on a recent Air India flight. "My child's meal on an international flight had a salad bowl with fungus growing in it. Clearly, there is an issue with the storage of food. This was brought to the notice of the air hostess. Flight AI 106 EWR to BOM," the user wrote.