Air India Express Crisis: Flight Cancellations, Mass Sick Leaves and More; What is causing turbulence at Tata-owned airlines

Updated May 9, 2024, 1:19 p.m. IST

The airline canceled nearly 74 flights on Thursday after some cabin crew reported mass sick leave. Here’s everything you need to know about the Tata Group airline crisis.

Air India Express Crisis: Flight Cancellations, Mass Sick Leaves and More; What is causing turbulence at Tata-owned airlines | Explain

Air India Express Crisis: Air India Express canceled several flights today as it faces shortage of cabin crew. He further said that Air India would operate services on 20 of its routes to minimize disruption. The decision was taken after some of the cabin crew called in sick. The airline has also reportedly issued layoff notices to cabin crew members. Tata Group-owned Air India Express is operating around 360 flights per day under the ongoing summer schedule which began in late March. The airline is facing the crisis in the midst of a merger with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India). Here’s everything you need to know about the Tata group crisis Airlines companies.

Air India Express flight cancellations

The airline canceled nearly 74 flights on Thursday after some cabin crew reported mass sick leave. “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 if their “The flight is affected by the disruption before going to the airport,” the airline said in a statement. The latest episode has resulted in the cancellation of more than 90 flights since Tuesday evening.

1) Employees are currently participating in protests due to their dissatisfaction with the recently introduced employment conditions.

2) Allegations have emerged from crew suggesting that some staff who successfully interviewed for management positions were instead offered lower-ranking roles, according to reports.

3) Additionally, the crew expressed concerns regarding changes to their compensation package.

What did Air India Express say about the crisis?

The airline sent layoff notices to 25 cabin crew members who had called in sick and asked the rest to return to work by 4 p.m. on Thursday. “While we continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concerns, we are taking appropriate action against certain individuals as their actions have caused serious inconvenience to thousands of our guests,” a- he added.

In the event a flight is canceled or delayed for more than three hours, the carrier said passengers can opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought a detailed report from Air India Express regarding the recent cancellation of flights and urged the airline to resolve the issues quickly.