AI curtails flights due to cabin crew shortage
Air India has cancelled or temporarily withdrawn as many as 12 flights from its domestic and international network, which include services to Kabul and Kuala Lumpur, due to shortage of cabin crew.
The now derecognised Air Corporation Employees Union had in March threatened to strike work, demanding recruitment of cabin crew in view of the manpower crunch.
“The airline has withdrawn as many as 12 flights across its network due to persistent constraint of cabin crew,” airline sources said here.
Manpower crunch was hitting flights operation badly as frequent disruptions were being caused by non-availability of cabin crew when flight slots demanded, they said.
“The airline has withdrawn its Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight IC-843/844 between June 12 and July 15,” the sources said.
Besides, flight IC-955/956 Chennai-Kuala Lumpur-Chennai would remain non-operational till July 15, they said.
On the domestic network, while two flights on the Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi sector have been pulled out, IC-519 Cochin-Chennai-Bangalore-Cochin and IC-519/520 Cochin-Bangalore-Cochin will not operate between June 11 and July 15.
AI will operate on single code from March
Air India will have a single code by March next year on which it will be operating all its domestic and international flights and selling their tickets.
The national carrier now has two codes — AI of Air India and IC of the erstwhile Indian Airlines — which have to be integrated not only as part of the merger process but also to join global airlines platform Star Alliance.
Once the project is completed and Air India joins Star Alliance, it would help the carrier save an estimated whopping $180-190 billion over 10 years.