He accused travellers on India's domestic flights of being snobs who didn't even say "hello" to the passengers sitting in the seat next to them.

Rail travellers are "more friendly"

The mood inside an aircraft, he said, should be like India's buses and trains, where fellow passengers greeted each other and chatted in a friendly way.

'Pushing and shoving'

The minister also saw cause for concern in the way passengers left the aircraft.

As soon as it came to a stop, he said, people started pushing and shoving in the race for the exit.

He also criticised Indian air crews for speaking Hindi and other Indian languages with an English accent.

Air traffic in India has been steadily increasing in recent years, with private airlines now accounting for more than half of the passengers.

Although Mr Yadav was clearly frustrated about inflight behaviour, he did have praise for aviation officials and their role in maintaining security.

India's safety record became the focus of public concern last December following the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight from Nepal.