Air India offloaded a passenger over covid test report; ordered to pay Rs 50,000

NEW DELHI: The Amritsar district consumer commission has directed Air India to pay Rs 50,000 to a passenger who could not board his London flight in March 2021, citing deficiency in service.

The commission awarded Rs 40,000 as compensation and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.The commission found that the airlines’ officials had failed to properly guide the passenger regarding covid-19 travel requirements. However, it rejected passenger's claims for a refund of the original airfare and reimbursement of testing, quarantine and subsequent ticket expenses.Air India boarding disputeAccording to the commission order, Surinder Singh, the complainant, booked a flight on March 14, 2021, to travel from Amritsar to Heathrow, London, via Mumbai.

He paid Rs 28,919 for the journey scheduled for March 19, 2021.Singh alleged that he obtained a negative RT-PCR report from an ICMR-accredited laboratory and deposited 210 pounds, equivalent to Rs 21,773, towards Covid-19 testing and quarantine requirements in the UK.The complainant claimed that he reached Amritsar airport well before departure and showed the airline officials his passport, visa, negative RT-PCR report and a message from the Punjab government regarding his test.

However, the ground staff and station manager allegedly refused to let him board without satisfactorily explaining the reason.After the flight departed, the officials returned his ticket with an endorsement referring to the absence of a message confirming the RT-PCR sample collection. Singh subsequently bought another ticket for Rs 19,000.He approached the consumer commission seeking a refund of Rs 28,919 towards airfare, Rs 21,773 towards Covid-19 testing and quarantine expenses, Rs 2 lakh as compensation and Rs 22,000 as litigation costs.The airline denied deficiency in service, arguing that Singh’s RT-PCR report did not specify the sample collection time, making it difficult to establish compliance with the 72-hour requirement. They also claimed he had not submitted the UK passenger locator form.It alleged that the complainant was advised to travel from Amritsar to Mumbai and complete the remaining formalities there but refused and was marked as having voluntarily opted for self-offloading.

They also argued that the travel agency through which he booked the tickets should have been made a party to the complaint.Commission's finding on Air IndiaThe bench comprising President Jagdishwar Kumar Chopra and member Mandeep Kaur found that the airlines had failed to establish that Singh received a clear explanation of the deficiencies in his documents or adequate assistance to complete the formalities.“The plea taken by the opposite parties that the complainant was ‘self-offloaded’ does not, by itself, completely absolve the opposite parties of their obligation to provide reasonable assistance to their passenger,” the commission said.It also noted that the airlines had not produced sufficient evidence to show that Singh was given a clear written explanation of the documentation requirements he had allegedly failed to meet.“The allegations of the complainant regarding the conduct of the officials, though not sufficient to establish all the reliefs claimed, do indicate that he was not dealt with in a manner expected from a professional airline service provider,” the bench said.The commission held that the airlines’ failure to guide and assist Singh regarding the applicable travel requirements amounted to deficiency in service.However, it rejected his claim for a refund of Rs 28,919, finding that the evidence did not establish that the airlines had completely and unjustifiably denied him the opportunity to travel.The commission also refused to reimburse Rs 21,773 towards Covid-19 testing and quarantine expenses, observing that Singh had not established a sufficient direct link between this expenditure and the deficiency proved against the airlines.

It rejected the claim for Rs 19,000 spent on the subsequent ticket, noting that he had undertaken the journey for which it was purchased.Considering the inconvenience, mental agony and harassment Singh suffered, the commission awarded Rs 40,000 as compensation and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs. It dismissed the complaint against the Airport Authority of India.What did the commission order?The commission, in its October 6, 2026 order, partly allowed the complaint and directed Air India and Air India Ltd to: