Air India Express has started terminating the employees who have gone on ‘Sick Leave’ and so far 30 employees have received these termination letters. Air India has held such employees guilty of violating the conditions.
Air India Express has started terminating the employees who have gone on ‘Sick Leave’ and so far around 30 senior employees have received these termination letters. Air India has given this dismissal notice to such employees considering them guilty of disturbing the operation and violating the terms and conditions of appointment.
In fact, due to more than 100 crew members suddenly going on sick leave, the airline had to cancel 90 of its flights in the last two days. Even today Air India has canceled 74 of its flights. Senior cabin crew members of Air India Express have gone on a kind of strike regarding their demands.
The company canceled many flights
Last Tuesday, when many of the airline’s flights were about to take off, at the last moment cabin crew members reported being ill and switched off their mobile phones. On Wednesday the airline’s CEO said, “Since last evening, more than 100 of our cabin crew colleagues have reported sick at the last minute, before their scheduled flight duty, causing serious disruption to our operations… ‘
Air India then announced a curtailment of flight services till May 13, due to which more than 100 domestic and international flights were canceled from Tuesday night, affecting around 15,000 passengers. The airline’s CEO Alok Singh said, “The entire network has been affected, forcing us to curtail the schedule in the next few days.”
Company statement
The company apologized for the inconvenience caused to the passengers and posted a statement saying, ‘We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused due to unprecedented flight delays and cancellations. Although we are working hard to minimize disruption, please check your flight status before heading to the airport. If your flight is affected, please contact Tia on WhatsApp or http://airindiaexpress.com/support for refund and rescheduling assistance.’
Aviation Ministry asked for report from the airline
The Civil Aviation Ministry has taken cognizance of the delay and cancellation of Air India Express flights and has sought a detailed report from the airline company in this regard. The ministry has also urged the airline to resolve the issues immediately. Additionally, Air India Express has been advised to ensure that passengers are provided facilities as per the norms of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Dispute between cabin crew and management!
The airline, which is in the process of merging with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), operates around 360 daily flights. However, for some time now, especially after the merger process began, discontent has been brewing among cabin crew members in low-cost carriers.
In December 2023, Air India Express was issued a show cause notice by the Union Labor Ministry for alleged violation of rules related to disputes between the airline’s management and cabin crew members. The notice was related to concerns raised by cabin crew members, including issues of room sharing during layovers.
