Air India objects to IndiGo’s advertising

New Delhi: Air India Ltd has objected to an advertising campaign by rival IndiGo airline at the Mumbai airport and has asked the airport authorities to take it down.

Air India had recently placed billboards at Mumbai airport including where IndiGo passengers check in that said: Wish you a comfortable flight. Next time fly Air India and feel the difference. The billboard talked about more leg space, hot meals and extra baggage space that the airline provides.

Reacting to this, IndiGo put out placards at its counters this week that said: Yes. Air India, there is a difference. Says the Government.

The placard then compares IndiGo with Air India on-time performance and claims Air India had the “worst” on-time performance while IndiGo had the best. IndiGo also had the “lowest” passenger complaints, it said, Air India the “highest” for the month of August for which the aviation regulator has released the data so far.

Air India on Thursday shot off a letter to Mumbai airport, which has been reviewed by Mint. The letter said the airline has not disparaged any airline but only said how its product was better.

“To our shock we found that IndiGo airlines has kept placards on their check-in counters at Terminal 1B displaying Air India in a very negative way, which is not acceptable to us and we at Air India do not believe in such type of negative advertisement for our competitor airlines,” Mukesh Bhatia, regional director (western region) of Air India, wrote in the letter to Mumbai airport’s chief executive officer Rajiv Jain which was also marked to Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani.

The airline asked for removal of the placards. “As per your advise we are in touch with Mr. Balbir Bhatia from MIAL for removal of these placards. You are requested to kindly advise IndiGo Airlines for removal of these placards on urgent basis. We request for your assistance in the matter,” Bhatia said.

IndiGo declined to comment for the story.

Air India