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97k complaints on Air Sewa against airlines | Latest News India

Nearly nine out of ten air travel grievances in India are aimed at airlines, with over 97,000 complaints filed against them on the government’s AirSewa portal since its launch in 2016, as per official data.
The figures, tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 7, state that airlines accounted for 8,262 complaints out of a total of 1,09,834, which were lodged between November 25, 2016 and July 31, 2025. 10 of these were pending, as per the data.
In a written reply to MP Brijmohan Agarwal, the minister of state (MoS) for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) received the third-highest number of passenger complaints (with a total of 1,831), out of which 11 cases were still open.
Other agencies, including the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), customs, immigration and security units, reported far fewer grievances, said the minister.
Complaint volumes spiked during the pandemic in 2020, with a total of 19,573 lodged, and surged again in 2024 to 19,262, the second-highest figure in the portal’s history, the data revealed.
The AirSewa portal was rolled out alongside a corresponding mobile app by former civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju in November 2016. It was intended as a one-stop platform to seek time-bound resolution of passenger issues, offering complainants to upload voice or video supplements alongside their complaints.
The portal’s registered users increased from 346 in its first year to over 1.67 lakh by 2025, as per government data.
An updated version of the portal, titled AirSewa 2.0, was launched in 2018.
But the portal has also drawn criticism, in response to which the ministry acknowledged receiving complaints about technical glitches and usability from sign-up failures and repeated verification loops to unresponsive servers.
“Issues regarding user signup, multiple verification and unresponsive server with regard to AirSewa Portal have come to the cognizance of the Ministry through various channels such as Social media, Emails, Telephone Calls etc. AirSewa has a dedicated Control Room housed in the Ministry of Civil Aviation to address the Air Passenger Grievances including complaints regarding usability and technical issues of AirSewa portal. The Ministry has resolved such issues as and when received in coordination with the Control Room and Technical back-end Team,” read the ministry’s response.
It also confirmed there are no current plans to integrate the system with online travel agents or aggregators, keeping the process centralised through the portal.
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Over 99 lakh foreign tourists arrived in India in 2024: Centre

Over 99 lakh foreign tourists visited India, while over 3 crore Indians travelled abroad in 2024, government informed Rajya Sabha.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stated that the number of foreign tourist arrivals stood at 99,51,722.
In 2023, the number stood at 95,20,928 while 64,37,467 foreign tourists arrived in the country in 2022.
The highest number of foreign tourists arrived from the United States (18,04,586). This was followed by Bangladesh (17,50,165), and in third place was the United Kingdom (10,22,587).
The government also informed that more than 77 lakh Indian nationals visited the UAE in 2024.
34,23,711 Indian nationals visited Saudi Arabia while 21,43,909 Indian nationals visited the US.
The data was provided by the Bureau of Immigration, as noted in the official statement by the Ministry of Tourism.
Earlier on July 25, MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had answered in the Lok Sabha about India’s potential for international tourism and steps in place or planned to further capitalise on it for economic growth and global positioning.
MoS Singh had highlighted that the Government of India acknowledges the potential of international tourism as a contributor to economic growth, employment generation, and enhancing India’s global profile.
He mentioned that these include supporting participation of Central and State Governments, tourism boards, and industry stakeholders in major overseas tourism trade fairs and exhibitions; organisation of Tourism Roadshows; engagements with local tour operators and other industry stakeholders; organisation of B2B meetings and familiarization (FAM) trips; and India tourism publicity campaigns, including through the social media.
MoS Singh also underlined that international air connectivity has improved through bilateral arrangements for direct flights that support foreign tourist arrivals. (ANI)
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Air India to stop Delhi-Washington flights from September 1. Know all details | Indiablooms

Tata Group-owned Air India on Monday announced the suspension of its services between Delhi and Washington, D.C., effective September 1, 2025, due to a combination of operational factors, to ensure the reliability and integrity of the airline’s overall route network.
“The suspension is primarily driven by the planned shortfall in Air India’s fleet, as the airline commenced retrofitting 26 of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft last month,” Air India said in a statement.
Air India said the extensive retrofit programme, aimed at significantly enhancing customer experience, necessitates a prolonged unavailability of multiple aircraft at any given time until at least end of 2026.
“That, coupled with the continued closure of airspace over Pakistan, impacts the airline’s long-haul operations, leading to longer flight routings and increased operational complexity,” the private airlines said.
Customers to be offered alternative travel arrangements
Customers with Air India bookings to or from Washington, D.C. beyond September 1, 2025 will be contacted and offered alternative travel arrangements, including rebooking on other flights or full refunds, as per their individual preferences.
Air India customers will continue to have the options of one-stop flights to Washington, D.C. via four U.S. gateways – New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago, and San Francisco – with the airline’s interline partners, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, allowing customers to travel on a single itinerary with their baggage checked through to the final destination.
Air India said it will continue to operate non-stop flights between India and six destinations in North America, including Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
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