Air India Express cancels 85 flights amid crew shortage
Air India Express cancels 85 flights amid crew shortage
Tata Group-owned Air India Express on Thursday announced the cancellation of 85 flights, affecting nearly 20% of its daily scheduled flights amid a shortage of cabin crew.Â
The airline also shared that it will be operating 283 flights on Thursday with support from Air India on 20 routes.Â
“We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport,” said Air India Express in a statement.
This comes after the termination of 30 crew members who were reportedly involved in mass sick leave, causing disruptions in flight operations.
The airline has informed passengers that if their flight is cancelled or delayed beyond three hours, they may choose to receive a full refund or reschedule to a later date at no extra cost.
Tata Group-owned Air India Express has “terminated with immediate effect” the services of the 30 cabin crew members who went on mass sick leave without notice, which led to the cancellation of over 100 flights since Tuesday night, affecting around 15,000 passengers.
The airline has given an ultimatum to remaining crew members who reported sick to rejoin duty by 4 pm on Thursday or face termination, reported news agency PTI.Â
Sources told India Today TV that the 30 crew members received the termination notices on Wednesday night.
The sources added that Regional Labour Commissioner Ashok Perumalla has called on the airline management and the protesting crew members for a meeting today in Delhi at 2 pm.
In its termination notice emailed to the concerned employees, the airline said the move by the crew members “pointed to a pre-mediated and concerted abstentation from work without any justifiable reason”.
It said that the mass sick leave was not only in violation of the applicable laws, but it also “violated the Air India Express Limited Employees’ Service Rules as are applicable to you”.
Air India Express CEO, Aloke Singh, expressed regret over the situation caused by a minority of cabin crew members. Singh further said that the majority of the airline’s crew remained dedicated and committed to serving passengers.
“This act is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues in the company who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride. I am thankful to all who are standing by the airline in this hour of crisis,” Singh said in a statement.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has requested a detailed report from Air India Express regarding the flight cancellations and delays as per media reports.
They urged the airline to resolve the issues promptly and ensure that affected passengers receive appropriate assistance in line with DGCA regulations.
The disruptions began on Tuesday night, leading to flight curtailments due to an unexpected crew shortage.Â
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