Delhi High Court Directs DGCA to Expedite Decision on Air India's In-Flight Meal Complaint

Cause Title: Nivedita Sharma Vs Ministry of Civil Aviation

Background

The Delhi High Court has intervened in a complaint filed by two passengers against Air India, alleging that the airline served only one hot meal and limited snacks on a 16-hour flight from Delhi to San Francisco, despite knowing that the passengers had diabetes and hypertension.

The passengers claimed that the quality and quantity of food served on the flight were grossly inadequate, leading to one of them suffering food poisoning, dehydration, and weakness after consuming the meal served by Air India.

Court's Observation

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to examine the complaint in a timely manner, considering the written replies submitted by the appellants and Air India.

The Court noted that the grievance had still not been effectively redressed and directed the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA to complete the grievance redressal exercise, if not already concluded, within a period of six weeks.

Decision

The Court rejected the arguments that the single judge ought to have decided the matter instead of relegating the decision to the Ministry of Civil Aviation/DGCA, holding that a writ petition need not be decided on merits merely because notice had earlier been issued.

The Bench also noted that the case involved disputed questions of fact, which could not be effectively decided in writ proceedings, and that the Aviation Ministry and DGCA, being regulators, were better placed to decide the grievance first.

Key Points

• The Delhi High Court directed the DGCA to expedite the decision on the complaint filed by the two passengers against Air India.
• The passengers alleged that Air India served only one hot meal and limited snacks on a 16-hour flight, despite knowing that they had diabetes and hypertension.
• The Court noted that the grievance had still not been effectively redressed and directed the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA to complete the grievance redressal exercise within six weeks.

Significance

The Court's decision highlights the importance of regulatory bodies, such as the DGCA, in addressing grievances and ensuring that airlines comply with regulations and standards.

The case also underscores the need for airlines to provide adequate food and services to passengers, particularly those with medical conditions, and to have trained cabin crew to handle medical emergencies.