Air India Express halts services until May 13, terminates 25 cabin crew members 

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Tata Group, has announced the curtailment of flight services until May 13 due to a sudden surge in senior crew members reporting sick without notice. This unexpected development has resulted in the cancellation of over 100 domestic and international flights since Tuesday night, impacting approximately 15,000 passengers. Aloke Singh, the CEO of the airline, expressed concern over the disruptions, stating that they have cascaded across the network, necessitating the curtailment of schedules over the next few days.

Around 25 cabin crew members of Air India Express Airlines have been terminated after they didn't report to work, for which thousands of passengers suffered.

In a statement addressed to airline staff on Wednesday, Singh remarked, "Since last evening, over 100 of our cabin crew colleagues have reported sick before their rostered flight duty, at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations. Because this action was mostly by colleagues assigned L1 role, the impact was disproportionate even though other colleagues reported for duty."

Singh further elaborated on the decision to curtail flight services, explaining, "We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of the crew and to recover schedules."

Acknowledging the dedication of the majority of cabin crew members, Singh emphasized, "This act (mass sick leave) is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues in the company who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride."

The flight cancellations, which occurred from Tuesday night to Wednesday, caused chaos at several airports as passengers were left uninformed and stranded. At Delhi's airport alone, at least 16 Air India Express flights were cancelled on Wednesday, with disruptions also reported in Bengaluru and Kerala.

In response to the situation, the airline announced that it was accommodating affected passengers on alternative flights and released a revised flight schedule. Passengers were urged to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has intervened, seeking a detailed report from Air India Express regarding the flight delays and cancellations. The Ministry has urged swift action to address the crisis and ensure passenger facilities in accordance with aviation norms.

Sources within the airline have suggested that the crew members may be dissatisfied with the performance-linked incentive component of their salaries following recent revamp and restructuring efforts, including the merger with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India).

This development comes amidst ongoing discontent among cabin crew members, highlighted by a show cause notice issued to Air India Express by the Union Labour Ministry in December 2023 over alleged violations related to disputes between management and cabin crew, including concerns about room sharing during layovers.