Over 100 flights of Air India Express were cancelled by Wednesday evening as a section of the cabin crew called in sick en masse to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline amid the process of its merger with loss-making AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India.
In a major action against employees who called in 'sick' in protest, Air India Express has reportedly terminated their services amid flight cancellations and delays. Hit by staff shortage, Air India Express said on Wednesday it will curtail flights for the next few days to cope with non-availability of crew members.
Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh's statement on Wednesday came amid the airline being forced to cancel more than 100 flights due to cabin crew members reporting sick. Flight cancellation saga continued on Thursday with 85 cancellations.
The cabin crew shortage resulted in the cancellations of more than 100 flights since Tuesday night and around 15,000 passengers have been affected.
In a message to the airline's staff on Wednesday, Aloke Singh said since last evening, more than 100 cabin crew members have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty, "at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations".
-Air India Express Sacks Staff Reporting Sick: Tata Group-owned Air India Express has "terminated with immediate effect" the services of the senior cabin crew members who went on mass sick leave without notice, reports said.
While 25 cabin crew members have been terminated till now, the number of job terminations is likely to increase and the management is likely to hold a townhall meeting with cabin crew members on Thursday, according to an NDTV report, which added that a total of 76 flights have been impacted on Thursday - including cancellations and flights that may be operated by other group airlines.
The Tata Group-owned airline also reportedly gave an ultimatum to the remaining cabin crew members reporting sick to join back duty by 4 pm on Thursday or face termination.
Over 100 flights of Air India Express were cancelled by Wednesday evening and many were delayed after dozens of senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline.
On Thursday, 85 flights were cancelled due to cabin crew shortage. To minimise disruptions, Air India will be operating 20 flights on AI Express routes, an official statement said.
-What's The Reason Behind Air India Express Crisis: Sources cited in a news agency PTI report said discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew of the low-cost carrier Air India Express for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.
Tata Group-owned Air India Express operates around 360 flights daily in the ongoing summer schedule that started in late March. Tata Group-owned profit-making Air India Express is in the process of merging loss-making AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.
Late last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline is being mismanaged and there is a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff.
-Labour Dept To Seek Inputs From DGCA: The regional labour commissioner will seek inputs from aviation regulator DGCA in the ongoing conciliation process with respect to the dispute between Air India Express management and a section of the cabin crew members, according to a source cited in a PTI report on Wednesday.
Flight disruptions happened at various airports, including Kochi, Calicut, Delhi and Bengaluru. Domestic as well as international services, including to various Gulf countries, have also been hit. At Delhi airport alone, 14 flights of the carrier were cancelled from 4 am to 4 pm on Wednesday, they added.
To tackle the situation, one of the sources said Air India Express will be tapping the synergies with other Tata Group airlines -- Air India and Vistara, according to a PTI report.
An Air India Express spokesperson said the airline is engaging with the cabin crew members to understand the reasons for reporting sick and also apologised for the flight disruptions.