Passenger finds stone in Air India in-flight meal; airline says strict action will be taken against caterer

After a passenger complained of finding a stone in her in-flight meal on an Air India plane, the airline on Tuesday said it has taken serious note of the incident and will initiate strict action against the caterer.

On January 8, a female passenger took to Twitter saying she found a stone in her in-flight meal onboard AI 215 and also shared pictures. The flight was from Delhi to Kathmandu.

"Air India has taken serious note of the incident where a passenger found stone in her in-flight meal on AI 215. We sincerely regret this incident and have apologised to the passenger," an Air India spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We have taken up the matter with the caterer and will be initiating strict action against the caterer," the spokesperson said.

Tagging Air India, the passenger Sarvapriya Sangwan, on January 8, tweeted, "You don't need resources and money to ensure stone-free food Air India (@airindiain)".

Sharing pictures of the in-flight meal that was served, she said this was the food served on flight AI 215. "Crew member Ms Jadon was informed. This of kind of negligence is unacceptable," she added.

Responding to the tweet, Air India tweeted saying that "this is concerning and we're taking this up immediately with our catering team".

"Please allow us some time to get back. We appreciate you bringing this to our notice," the airline said in the tweet on January 8.

In recent days, Tata group-owned Air India has also come under the scanner of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for not reporting incidents of passenger misbehaviour on two international flights. The regulator has also issued show-cause notices to the airline.