Around 30 AI Express cabin crew laid off after mass sick leave, CEO Aloke Singh set to meet employees

Around 30 employees of Tata Group’s Air India Express were laid off after taking mass sick leave, leading to the cancellation of over 100 flights and numerous problems for passengers. These employees are senior members of the cabin crew.

Flight cancellations took place overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday due to the absence of employees. This caused chaos at a few airports, with passengers unhappy that the airline had not informed them beforehand.

At least 16 AI Express flights were canceled in Delhi on Wednesday and disruptions were also reported in Bengaluru. The airline has canceled several flights from our four airports in Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode.

The airline said in an emailed statement to affected cabin crew members that the move “indicated a premeditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason.” The Tata Group-owned airline said the mass sick leave violated not only the applicable rules but also “the Employee Service Rules of Air India Express Limited applicable to you”.

The airline’s statement also said that this action by employees was not only detrimental to the public interest, but had also caused embarrassment and “serious reputational damage, as well as serious monetary loss to the company “. According to the company’s letter, the employees violated clauses relating to staffing and flight duties.

The employees also violated additional commitments stating that they would maintain “the highest standards of work ethic, character and conduct.” “Your act amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, aimed at not exploiting the theft and disrupting the company’s services,” the letter said.

In terminating the cabin crew members’ services, the airline said: “You will no longer be considered an employee; you will no longer have access to official mail, servers and other communications; and you and your dependents will no longer be eligible for any employee benefits provided by the Company.

The emailed statement comes after Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh announced that the airline would reduce its flight services until May 13 due to the cabin crew situation. “The disruptions reverberated throughout the network, forcing us to reduce schedules in the coming days… We had to do this to cope with the unavailability of crews and recover schedules,” he explained. .

Meanwhile, 74 Air India Express flights were canceled due to the cabin crew crisis, according to an airline spokesperson. The airline also said that if the flight is canceled or delayed beyond 3 hours, customers can opt for a full refund or reschedule their flight to a later date without any charges via WhatsApp or on the Air website India Express.

The airline spokesperson said, “Air India Express is making all possible efforts to minimize the inconvenience caused to our customers by this unexpected situation. We will operate 292 flights today. We have mobilized all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 74 of our flights are canceled and we urge our customers who have booked a flight with us to check whether their flight is affected by the disruption before traveling to the airport. If their flight is canceled or delayed beyond 3 hours, they can opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any charges on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on airindiaexpress.com. While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues and commit to addressing any concerns, we are taking appropriate action against some individuals as their actions have caused serious inconvenience to thousands of our guests. »