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More than 70 Air India Express flights canceled at last minute, more expected today; here’s why – Firstpost

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More than 70 Air India Express flights canceled at last minute, more expected today; here’s why – Firstpost

Air India Express domestic and international flights were canceled on the night of Tuesday, May 7 to Wednesday, May 8 morning and several others were delayed.
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More than 70 Air India Express flights, both domestic and international, were canceled on the night of Tuesday, May 7 to Wednesday, May 8 morning and several others were delayed.

Following this, an Air India Express spokesperson asked travelers flying with the airline on Wednesday (May 8) to check whether their flight was affected, before heading to the airport.

But why are Air India Express flights being cancelled?

The Tata group-owned airline cited some of its cabin crew “calling in sick at the last minute” from Tuesday evening as the reason for the cancellations.

Meanwhile, the news agency ANI Cited sources in the aviation industry said that international and domestic flights of Air India Express were canceled after senior members of the airline’s crew took “collective sick leave”.

Sources from another news agency, PTIsaid Air India Express flights were canceled due to a shortage of cabin crew members, with some of them calling in sick to protest alleged mismanagement.

According to reports, discontent had been brewing among some of the cabin crew for some time, particularly since the merger process of Air India Express (AIX) Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself began. .

In April, the Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union that claims to represent around 300 mostly senior cabin crew, claimed the airline was poorly managed and there had a lack of equality in the treatment of staff.

What does Air India Express say about flight cancellation?

“Some of our cabin crew called in sick at the last minute, starting yesterday evening, leading to flight delays and cancellations,” Air India Express said, responding to growing concerns among its passengers.

“While we speak with crew to understand the reasons for these events, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimize any inconvenience caused to our guests. We sincerely apologize to our customers for this unexpected disruption and emphasize that this situation does not reflect the quality of service we strive to provide,” the airline said.

Will travelers on canceled Air India Express flights get a refund?

According to the Air India Express spokesperson, “customers affected by the cancellations will be offered a full refund or a free reschedule to another date.”

Angry passengers take to social media

On board the X, several Air India Express passengers expressed their anger.

One of the users posted a video from Delhi airport where passengers gathered outside the Air India Express counter seeking clarification after the airline “canceled 3 flights to Goa, Guwahati and Srinagar in last moment and refused to offer alternatives.

Another stranded passenger complained that there were no updates from the airline and that customer service was also not answering calls.

Another user asked travelers “not to book tickets on Air India Express” following delayed and canceled flights after crew members called in sick at the last minute and “turned off their phones portable”.

With the contribution of agencies