AI sacks 47 crew members

The decision to crack the whip comes amid reports that several cabin crew members are eyeing jobs in Gulf carriers

Air India has dismissed 47 members of its cabin crew and issued show-cause notices to 20 more on grounds of absenteeism. A Air India cabin crew union member however said those who were dismissed had availed of the airline’s leave without pay policy and management had not responded to their requests for leave extension.

While all of those removed are stationed in Mumbai, 17 of those issued the notices for not coming to duty for three months without intimation also belong to the western metropolis and the rest from Delhi, senior airline officials said.

However, those issued show-cause notices could re-join duty by June 30 after fulfilling necessary requirements and getting certified for sickness, if any, from Air India doctors, the officials said, adding that such disciplinary action taken on a regular basis has now become a deterrent for a total cabin crew strength of about 3,500.

The decision of AI to crack the whip comes amid reports that several cabin crew members were on the lookout for greener pastures, especially eyeing jobs in Gulf carriers. The officials said the prevailing work hours for the cabin crew stood at 125 hours per month or 1,000 hours each year, but those being sacked or issued notices have not put in even a single hour of duty in the recent past.

“Air India management had introduced two year leave without pay scheme in 2009. Crew members were allowed to take alternate employment during the period and many have signed bonds. Many crew members wrote to the airline seeking extension of leave but the management did not respond. Last year the management initiated disciplinary actions against them and called management action unfair,” the union member said.