Air India Express flights disrupted for second day as cabin crew call in sick in revolt over merger
- More than 100 Air India Express cabin crew reported sick before their rostered flight duty at the last minute, forcing 85 flights to be cancelled on Thursday
- Reports linked the staff discontent to new policies on hiring and promotion imposed by new ownership. The carrier is expanding and is integrating with AirAsia India
.png?itok=arIb17P0)
Air India’s budget carrier subsidiary cancelled 85 flights on Thursday, a day after its operations were severely disrupted by dozens of cabin crew calling in sick at the last minute.
The airline was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022 after a government effort to privatise the heavily indebted carrier.
Media reports linked the sudden mass sick leave to simmering staff discontent over new policies on hiring and promotion imposed by its new ownership.
The carrier is currently integrating with AirAsia India as part of its aggressive expansion plans.
Air India Express said in a statement that it had made “every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests” but had been forced to cancel 85 flights on Thursday.
“We urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport,” it added.
More than 90 other flights had been “disrupted” since Tuesday by the resulting staff shortages, the airline said in a separate statement on Wednesday, without clarifying whether they had been delayed or cancelled.
Chief executive Aloke Singh said on Wednesday that the airline had been forced to curtail its flight schedules over the coming days.
“Since last evening, over 100 of our cabin crew colleagues have reported sick before their rostered flight duty, at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations,” Singh said.
“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.”
We are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests
Media reports said the budget carrier had sacked at least 20 staff.
An Air India Express spokesperson said on Thursday that the airline taken appropriate action, but did not provide further details.
“We are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests,” the spokesperson said.
New Delhi airport saw chaotic scenes on Wednesday as agitated passengers waited for updates on delayed and cancelled flights, according to Indian media reports.
Air India Express’ difficulties are just the latest in a series of disruptions centred on Tata Group’s aviation business, which is in the midst a revamp after the conglomerate bought Air India from the government in 2021.
The widespread absenteeism echoes the experience at Vistara, the Singapore Airlines local affiliate that’s expected to merge with Air India by the end of the year. Pilots there also called in sick en masse over fatigue concerns and pay cuts, forcing the airline to cancel more than 100 flights over the course of a week and eventually scale back its schedule to prevent further cancellations.
Air India Express has said it is offering refunds or the option to reschedule flights to customers affected by the cancellations. India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has also weighed in, urging the carrier to resolve issues promptly and submit a report on the flight cancellations.
