May 8th 2024.
In recent news, Air India Express has faced some major setbacks as over 100 flights have been cancelled since Tuesday night. This is due to a group of cabin crew members calling in sick as a form of protest against the alleged mismanagement at the airline, which is now owned by the Tata Group. This has affected around 15,000 passengers who were scheduled to fly with the airline.
The shortage of cabin crew has forced the airline to curtail flights until May 13th. Sources have revealed that Air India Express normally operates around 360 flights daily to both domestic and international destinations. This sudden disruption has caught the attention of the civil aviation ministry, who have requested a report from the airline and urged them to resolve the issue promptly.
Aside from the cancellations, many flights have also been delayed, causing frustration among passengers, especially those travelling to Gulf countries. In many cases, passengers were only informed of the cancellations after they had gone through security checks, adding to the inconvenience. According to sources, the shortage of cabin crew has been caused by over 200 members reporting sick.
The impact of these disruptions has been felt at various airports, including Kochi, Calicut, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Both domestic and international flights, including those to Gulf countries, have been affected. In fact, at Delhi airport alone, 14 flights were cancelled between 4 am and 4 pm on Wednesday. To mitigate the situation, Air India Express is now looking to collaborate with other Tata Group airlines, such as Air India and Vistara.
In response to the chaos, an Air India Express spokesperson has stated that the airline is currently in talks with the cabin crew members to understand their reasons for reporting sick. They have also apologized for the flight disruptions and are working towards resolving the issue. However, this discontent among the cabin crew has been building up for some time, especially since the merger of AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) with Air India Express.
This is not the first time Tata Group's airlines have faced challenges in recent months. Vistara, their full-service carrier, had to temporarily reduce their capacity by 10% or 25-30 flights daily due to pilot woes. As part of their consolidation strategy, Tata Group plans to merge Air India Express and AIX Connect, as well as Vistara with Air India.
In a message to the airline's staff, Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh expressed his disappointment with over 100 cabin crew members calling in sick just before their scheduled flights. This has resulted in more than 90 flights being disrupted, causing a ripple effect across the airline's network. To cope with the shortage of crew, the airline has had to curtail flights until May 13th.
Singh also reassured the staff that the company's leadership is open to discussions if there are any concerns that need to be addressed. The spokesperson also reiterated that the airline is working to minimize inconvenience for their guests and is offering full refunds or rescheduling to another date for those affected by the cancellations.
In another statement, the airline clarified that only a small section of the cabin crew had reported sick, causing disruptions since Tuesday night. They have mobilized all available resources and revised their flight schedule to accommodate affected passengers on alternative flights, including those with other group airlines. However, they have advised passengers to check if their flight is affected before heading to the airport.
The civil aviation ministry has also taken notice of the situation and has asked for a report from Air India Express. The ministry has also requested that the airline ensures proper facilities for passengers, while airport operators have been urged to provide proactive assistance to affected passengers.
Last month, the Air India Express Employees Union, which represents around 300 cabin crew members, had also raised concerns about mismanagement affecting the morale of the employees. One such incident was highlighted by a woman passenger who was travelling with her husband and twin babies from Kannur to Sharjah on an Air India Express flight. She was offered a flight from Kochi on May 10th even though she had to rejoin work on May 9th.
In response to the situation, Congress leader K C Venugopal has urged Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to intervene and resolve the strike at the airline. It remains to be seen how Air India Express will handle the aftermath of these flight disruptions and the impact it will have on their passengers and staff.
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