Did Air India bend backward to ensure Patels family flew business class for a holiday to Maldives in April 2010?

FPJ NEWS SERVICE New Delhi

In the thick of another controversy, Union Minister Praful Patel on Tuesday urged Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh for a thorough probe to determine whether Air India bent backwards to ensure his family could fly business class for a holiday to Maldives in April 2010.

Patels daughter was flying with her husband and in- laws from Bangalore to the Maldives. The national carriers Airbus 319, normally used for this route, did not have enough business seats to accommodate her eight- member group.

On the day that she flew to the Maldives and for her return journey, an Airbus 320 was used - it has 20 business class seats, as against eight on an A319.

The switch in planes meant that 48 seats were left vacant. Three days later, the same plane brought the family back and this time the vacant number of seats rose to 55.

Air India had refused to share this information for nearly 18 months till the Chief Information Commissioner ruled that the details had to be revealed in public interest under the Right to Information Act.

In his letter to Ajit Singh, Patel has written that he is personally embarrassed and pained about the impression that is sought to be created that the passengers travelled either on free tickets or were upgraded to business class, whereas they were actually fully paid business class passengers.

Also, he states in the letter, it was being suggested that this was done at his behest and that Air India has never resorted to a change of aircraft ever before for commercial reasons.

Disputing these claims, Patel has requested Singh to " immediately order an inquiry and ascertain all the facts or probe the matter in any way you deem appropriate." Asked to comment on the controversy, Ajit Singh told reporters, " They ( Air India) should not have changed the aircraft."