Air India Express Cancels Over 75 Flights as Crew Members Go on Mass 'Sick Leave'

According to the Civil Aviation ministry sources, the cancellations and sudden shortage of crew members which led to flights being grounded, affecting both domestic and international routes, began on Tuesday night and persisted into Wednesday morning.

New Delhi: In a major flight disruption, more than 75 international and domestic flights of Air India Express on Wednesday were cancelled or delayed due to senior crew members calling in sick.

The situation has raised concerns within the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which is closely monitoring the developments. Air India Express faced major disruptions in its flight operations on Wednesday, approximately 75 flights, mostly international bound, were cancelled or delayed due to senior crew members calling in sick.

"A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result.", Air India Express spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport," the spokesperson added

The sudden shortage of crew members led to flights being grounded, affecting both domestic and international routes. Civil Aviation authorities are looking into the issue. The sources said that some senior crew members switched off their mobile phones just before flight operations, citing health issues. With no alternate staff available, the flights had to be cancelled.

Air India Express issued a statement addressing the situation and apologising to affected passengers. Air India Express spokesperson said, "A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimize any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result."

According to sources in the airline, the issues revolves around the promotions while the senior members are not happy with the new promotion system which focuses on "merit" rather than "seniority".

On May 2, a town hall meeting was also held which consisted of senior management staffers along with MD Alok Singh in which all such questions were raised and answers were also given but despite that, the sources said that "senior staffers went on mass leave which is hampering our operations."

This has led to cancellations and disruptions in flight operations as section of them are reporting sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline.

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.

Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, which claims to represent around 300 cabin crew members, mostly seniors, had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.

It is pertinent to note here that as part of consolidating its airline business, Tata Group is merging Air India Express and AIX Connect, as well as Vistara with Air India. AI Express currently has a fleet of 73 aircraft and operates 360 flights daily.

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