Over 100 Air India Express flights cancelled as cabin crew calls in sick

Air India Express, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, has cancelled over 100 flights since Tuesday evening due to a section of cabin crew members calling in sick, protesting against mismanagement within the airline.

The flight cancellations have affected roughly 15,000 travellers. Given its substantial presence in Gulf routes, Air India Express has opted to reduce its flight operations until May 13, with a usual schedule of around 360 flights per day, covering both domestic and international routes, according to a report in The Economic Times (ET).

In a latest update, the airline has issued termination letters to around 25 cabin crew members who called in sick, which led to the cancellation of over 90 flights. Additionally, the airline has given an ultimatum to the remaining cabin crew members, who had also called in sick, to report to duty by 4 pm on Thursday or they will face termination. 

The airline cancelled at least 60 flights for Thursday due to the non-availability of cabin crew. Over 200 cabin crew members began calling in sick starting Tuesday night in protest of purported mismanagement at the airline, which led to the cancellation of over 90 flights.

Civil aviation ministry seeks report

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought a detailed report from Air India Express over the cancelled flights and has urged the airline to swiftly resolve the underlying issues.

The airline has also been advised to ensure that passengers are provided with sufficient facilities, while airport operators have been urged to offer proactive assistance to affected passengers.

Flight disruptions occurred across multiple airports including Kochi, Calicut, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Both domestic and international flights, including those destined for various Gulf nations, have been impacted. At the Delhi airport alone, the airline cancelled 14 flights between 4 am and 4 pm on Wednesday, the report said.

Airline offers apology over flight cancellations

A spokesperson from Air India Express stated that the airline is communicating with cabin crew members to understand the reasons behind them calling in sick and has also offered an apology for the disruptions to flights.

A faction of cabin crew members at the airline has been dissatisfied, especially since the commencement of merger discussions with AIX Connect, formerly known as AirAsia India. Last month, a union representing a segment of Air India Express cabin crew labelled accusations of mismanagement within the airline and highlighted disparities in staff treatment.

As part of consolidating its airline business, the Tata Group is integrating Air India Express and AIX Connect, along with merging Vistara with Air India.

In a message addressed to the airline's staff, Air India Express chief executing officer (CEO) Aloke Singh said on Wednesday that, since last evening, over 100 cabin crew members had called in sick just before their scheduled flight duties, significantly disrupting our operations at the last minute.

The report quoted Singh as saying, "The disruptions have cascaded across the network, forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days. We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules."