More reputational woes have befallen Air India, with a bout of suspected food poisoning affecting a group of people on board a flight from London to Mumbai on 23 June, less than two weeks after the fatal crash of AI171 in Ahmedabad.
Five passengers and two crew members began experiencing dizziness and nausea not long after take-off, as the nine-hour flight AI130, operated on a Boeing 777, cruised at an altitude of 35,000 feet. With the sickness starting so early in the journey, many passengers will have become aware there was a problem for the majority of what must have felt like an extra long-haul flight. Travel & Tour World (TTW) describes “an uncomfortable and concerning atmosphere on board.”
After “landing safely in Mumbai” the plane was met by medical teams “ready to provide immediate medical assistance,” an Air India spokesperson said. Four of the seven people originally taken ill continued to experience symptoms after landing, leading to two passengers and two cabin crew being taken to the medical room for further examination. They were later discharged, the spokesperson added.
Air India confirmed the issue has been reported to the regulator and that it is investigating the incident. Aviation 24 reports that cabin pressurisation issues have been ruled out, leaving food poisoning as the likely culprit, especially since the pilots suffered no symptoms. Pilot meals are prepared separately to other on-board refreshments, due to industry protocols.
The incident comes amid a 15% reduced flight schedule for Air India’s widebody operations, due to ongoing safety inspections following the deadly crash of Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad.
What’s more, after enduring over 1,000 bomb threats during 2024, the carrier continues to suffer from hoax terror alerts, such as the one that saw an Air India flight from the UK to New Delhi diverted to Riyadhm, Saudi Arabia on 22 June, due to a bomb threat.
More worries for Air India as its Flight AI 379 received a bomb threat on board the aircraft before making an emergency landing at Phuket International Airport, (HKT), Thailand, with 156 passengers onboard on 13 June 2025.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 13, 2025
Phuket Airport (HKT) was notified by the Flight Control… pic.twitter.com/Ktb2OIfknJ
TTW argues that Air India’s response in all these situations, informing regulators and instituting checks, demonstrates flight safety and efficient crisis management focused on passenger and crew well-being, even in health-related emergencies. But not all customers agree with that positive spin and some are declaring online they will never fly Air India again.
Tata Group has invested heavily in fleet and image renewal since acquiring the failing nationalised airline in 2021. But, despite retiring old planes, buying new models, overhauling the livery, online services, airline apps, and passengers lounges in efforts to revive a carrier that started life as Tata Airlines, the family-run conglomerate has struggled to sustain consistently Air India good reviews– and that was before the recent wave of bad news stories.
