Reduced flights impacting cabin crew salary: Air India Express union

The Air India Express Employees Union has claimed that more than 100 employees have not been able to work due to the unavailability of airport entry passes

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) has raised concerns over flight delays and cancellations, citing adverse impacts on cabin crew salaries. The union claims that more than 100 cabin crew members have been without flying duties for the past two months due to the non-availability of airport entry passes. This comes less than two weeks after crewmembers called off their strike.

In a letter to the commissioner on Tuesday, the AIXEU highlighted issues with a new software transition managed by the airline's scheduling department, which allegedly resulted in the loss of cabin crew data. As a result, cabin crew members have been assisting manually to cover flight cancellations and delays, further complicating the scheduling process.

Impact on salaries and operations

The union stressed that the reduced number of departures is directly affecting cabin crew salaries, which are linked to flying hours. An airline official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the transition to the new scheduling system coincided with a section of cabin crew reporting sick, referencing the recent strike. This convergence of issues has led to a prolonged stabilisation period, though many issues have been mitigated.

The next round of conciliation meetings is scheduled for May 28, aiming to address these ongoing concerns.

Air India Express strike and flight cancellations

Earlier this month, a significant number of Air India Express cabin crew reported sick in protest against alleged mismanagement and unequal treatment of staff. This led to substantial flight disruptions, with the airline cancelling 85 flights, about 23 per cent of its daily operations. The strike was called off on May 9 following a meeting between union representatives and airline officials, convened by the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in New Delhi. Operations were expected to normalise by May 12.

Air India Express, which is in the process of merging with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), has a fleet of 73 aircraft and employs around 6,000 people, including over 2,000 cabin crew. The airline operates approximately 380 flights daily, with an average of 120 international and 260 domestic services.

In response to the strike, the Tata Group-owned airline curtailed operations to minimise disruptions, cancelling over 260 flights since the strike commenced. Despite efforts to stabilise operations, the airline continues to face challenges related to crew scheduling and flight cancellations.

(With inputs from PTI)