Amid flight cancellation woes after crew crisis, Air India Express MD writes to employees

Updated May 8, 2024 7:58 PM IST

He said colleagues across IOCC operations, network, commercial services and airport services have been working hard to mitigate the impact of the disruptions.

Cancellation of Air India Express flights

New Delhi: In the middle of the sudden collective sick leave by Air India Express employees leading to multiple flight cancellations, MD Aloke Singh wrote a letter addressed to employees. He said that since Tuesday evening, more than 100 cabin crew colleagues have called in sick before their scheduled flight duty, at the last minute, seriously disrupting our operations.

“As this action was primarily carried out by colleagues assigned to the L1 role, the impact was disproportionate, disrupting more than 90 flights even though other colleagues showed up for work. The disruptions spread throughout the network , forcing us to reduce schedules over the next few days We had to do so to cope with the unavailability of the crew and to restore schedules,” he said.

“This act is certainly not representative of the airline’s nearly 2,000 cabin crew colleagues who continue to answer the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride. I am grateful to all those who stand alongside the airline in this hour of crisis,” the letter reads further.

He said colleagues across IOCC operations, network, commercial services and airport services have been working hard to mitigate the impact of the disruptions. “A reduced schedule will be in place for the coming days. Colleagues from across the company and group have stepped up to support operations – we owe them our deepest gratitude,” Singh said.

Air India Express passengers faced chaos and inconvenience on Wednesday as the airline canceled over 80 flights and several others were delayed after a section of cabin crew members declared themselves sick to protest alleged mismanagement of the airline. The protest led to a shortage of cabin crew, causing disruptions at several airports, including Kochi, Calicut and Bangalore.

The sudden cancellations have left many passengers frustrated, with several taking to social media to air their grievances. Videos of passengers gathered at airports in Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram have gone viral on social media. The videos show passengers arguing with airport staff, claiming their flights were canceled at the last minute.

He said that if there were any concerns that needed to be addressed, company management was available for any discussions and all channels of communication remained open – departmental town hall meetings (including one pre-scheduled for tomorrow), l monthly public meeting to all, in addition to formal and informal contacts. to leaders. “In particular, senior cabin crew colleagues who have seen the airline evolve from a small niche operator to what we are today: a rapidly growing carrier, operating more than 350 flights per day, with a strong network across India, Gulf and South East Asia has a deeper stake in contributing to building and achieving the vision we have set for ourselves,” he added.

“We are on the path of growth and transformation, which will make us one of the largest airlines in the region. There are enough professional growth opportunities for everyone,” he said asking employees to work together to embrace this transformation and change, and support a skills-based, customer-centric organization that the market demands.

“We owe it to our guests, our business partners and the rest of our more than 6,500 colleagues. I hope to see things resolved soon,” concluded the CEO.