TBM Staff - Mumbai Over 80 international and domestic flights of Air India Express were cancelled after the senior crew members of the airline went on mass ‘sick leave’.
The development came after several cabin crew members started reporting sick since Monday evening and as there are not enough cabin crew members, “scores of flights” have been cancelled at various airports, including Kochi, Calicut and Bengaluru, reports News18.
According to sources, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is looking into the issue to understand the cause of the sudden incident.
Releasing a statement, the Air India Express said, “A section of our cabin crew has reported sick 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.”
“We sincerely apologise to our guests…those impacted will be offered a full refund or rescheduling. Guests flying us today are requested to check if the flight is affected, before heading to the airport,” the statement added.
A union representing a section of the airlines’ cabin crew, Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), also wrote to the Chairman of Air India Natarajan Chandrashekharan, talking about the grievances of employees and raised concerns regarding the current situation at Air India Express Limited, particularly following its acquisition by TATA.
The union alleged that the airline is being mismanaged and there is a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff and alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.
“It is with great disappointment that we address the growing unrest and dissatisfaction among the employees since the takeover by TATA. However, it appears that the reality on the ground does not align with these principles. Despite assurances of job security, salary maintenance, and respect for seniority and experience, there has been a stark departure from these commitments,” the letter read.
Hours after the news of Air India Express flights getting cancelled grabbed headlines, the MoCA sought a report on the cancellations and asked the airlines to ensure facilities for passengers as per the norms laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In addition to this, the Ministry asked the carrier, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, to resolve the issue “promptly”. (Source: News18)
