Air India Express crew calls off strike after dozens of flight cancellations

New Delhi, May 10 (EFE).- Cabin crew of the low-cost airline Air India Express, a subsidiary of the Indian national airline Air India, called off their strike following the cancellation of dozens of flights.

An Air India Express passenger plane parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India, May 9, 2024. EFE-EPA/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI

The crew members ended their protest after two days of conciliation on Thursday evening, the Indian Labor Commission (CLC), a government agency that oversees the enforcement of labor laws, announced on Friday.

Following this agreement, the authorities also agreed to reinstate around twenty employees dismissed due to the strike.

“Management has agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew members who were dismissed on May 7 and 8, 2024 due to illness,” the CLC said in a letter made public with the signatures of those involved.

According to local channel NDTV, the budget airline has laid off at least 30 members of its crew during management-led negotiations.

The CLC letter suggested another meeting would be held on May 28 to discuss employees’ concerns about the subsidies and allegations of discrimination.

More than 100 domestic and international flights were affected between Wednesday and Thursday due to crew members calling for mass sick leave.

Crew members alleged a lack of equal treatment after the Indian airline was taken over by the Tata group.

In 2022, the powerful conglomerate regained control of the indebted Air India, 69 years after its nationalization, for an amount estimated at around $2.4 billion.

The incident came a month after Vistara, a partner airline of Air India, suffered multiple cancellations due to a shortage of pilots. EFE

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