In a concerning incident aboard Air India’s AI 175 flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco, a passenger discovered a metal blade in his in-flight meal.

Mathures Paul, a journalist, recounted his alarming experience on social media, sharing that he found the blade while enjoying his roasted sweet potato and fig chaat. Mr. Paul described the moment he felt the piece of metal in his mouth, realizing it was a blade only after chewing for a few seconds. Fortunately, he was not harmed. He posted an image of the bowl showing the metal blade next to the food, expressing his disappointment with Air India’s catering service.

“Air India food can cut like a knife. Hiding in its roasted sweet potato and fig chaat was a metal piece that looked like a blade. I got a feel of it only after chewing the grub for a few seconds. Thankfully, no harm was done.

Upon discovering the blade, Mr. Paul immediately alerted the stewardess, who apologized briefly and assured him that the catering team would be informed. She then brought him a bowl of chickpea salad as a replacement.

After landing in San Francisco, Mr. Paul posted about the incident on X (formerly Twitter), but initially received no response from the airline. Later, Air India contacted him, offering a one-way business class ticket valid on any Air India flight for up to one year. Mr. Paul declined the offer, referring to it as a ‘bribe.’

In response to his post, Air India commented, “Dear Mr. Paul, we are sorry to know about this. This does not represent the level of service we aim to provide to our passengers. Please DM us your booking details along with your seat number. We’ll ensure this matter is promptly reviewed and addressed.