Noting that it gets a large number of requests from MPs regarding upgrades, the national carrier has made it known to Parliament that such requests cannot be met in most cases if the business class seats are booked by revenue passengers or the aircraft is in an all-economy configuration.
The domestic fleet of Air India primarily consists of narrow-body planes like Airbus A-319s which have eight business class seats and A-320s and A-321s which have 20 such seats. Several of these aircraft are now being reconfigured to have only economy seats to compete with no-frill carriers.
They said the MPs also realise that parting with such information in public only helps competition, adversely affecting Air India's interests.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Secretary General P K Grover, Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said the airline has been receiving several requests even "for change of aircraft to accommodate Hon'ble Parliament Committee in Business Class during Parliamentary Committee visits to various parts of the country and also to relax baggage limitations".