It’s because of an unusual reason that the first Air India Express flight connecting Surat and Bangkok has sparked curiosity. Several reports have surfaced which claim that passengers consumed so much alcohol during the flight that the crew ran out of stock. However, officials at Air India Express denied these claims.
The four-hour flight from Surat, Gujarat, to Bangkok, Thailand, flew 175 passengers and six crew members on Friday. Shortly after landing in Bangkok, videos had begun surfacing online stating that the airline had consumed all of its alcohol for the duration of the trip. The stories were widely published by news media.
A report in The Times of India said that the aircraft had 15 liters of premium alcohol worth over Rs. 1.8 lakh. It further accused that the stock was drawn out before the flight arrived in Bangkok.
However, officials of Air India Express denied the above reports. According to budget airline, sales of alcoholic beverages onboard the flight had been brisk, but its stock had not been exhausted, as social media posts made some claim. “There was sufficient stock of liquor as well as food onboard,” officials said, according to news agency PTI.
ખમણ અને ભરેલ ભીંડાનું બાઈટિંગ અને દારૂનો સ્ટોક ખતમ, વાઇરલ થયા સુરતીઓ!
Surat | એર ઈન્ડિયા દ્વારા શરૂ કરવામાં આવેલ સુરતથી બેંગકોકની પહેલી ફ્લાઇટના પહેલા જ દિવસે 98% પેસેન્જર્સ મળ્યા અને આ પેસેન્જર્સના વિડીયો વાયરલ થયા.
ફ્લાઇટમાં પેસેન્જરોએ વિસ્કી અને બીયરનો સ્ટોક જ પતાવી… pic.twitter.com/feolWuDKgK
— Sagar Patoliya (@kathiyawadiii) December 21, 2024
The airline further clarified the serving policy of alcohol saying that “as a rule of thumb, a passenger will not be served more than 100 ml of alcohol during a flight.
Air India Express, which is owned by the Tata Group, offers five kinds of liquor on board. These include Chivas Regal at Rs. 600 for 50 ml, Red Label and Bacardi White Rum and Beefeater Gin all at Rs. 400 for 50 ml each, and Bira Lager at Rs. 400 for 330 ml.
The airline hasn’t yet released an official statement on the claims and discussions on the net.
