Air India Express cancels 91 flights as cabin crew goes on sick leave

After Vistara cancellations, it's the turn of another Tata airline to face crisis

Within weeks of Vistara flight cancellations when several pilots had called in sick, another Tata-owned airline is in the midst of a similar crisis. Air India Express cancelled some 91 flights and delayed 102 since Tuesday after more than 100 cabin crew members reported sick. They are protesting “inequality” in their treatment compared to counterparts at AIX Connect, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) are subsidiaries of the Tata Group-owned Air India, which is in the process of merging to create a unified low-cost airline. Air India Express and AIX Connect operate around 230 and 150 daily flights, respectively. Last month, Vistara, which is getting merged with Air India, had to cancel 10 per cent of its flights amidst dissatisfaction of pilots with tight duty schedules and new salary package as part of the airline's merger into Air India.  
 

 

The latest setback has come at a time when holiday vacations and election travel have hit a peak, prompting sharp reactions from all quarters. In Kerala, for instance, the Congress and the CPI on Wednesday demanded Centre’s intervention after many international flights were cancelled. DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi azad, who was stranded after his Delhi-Srinagar flight was cancelled, said Air India should be shut, according to an agency report.   
 

Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh on Wednesday evening admitted that the airline's flight operations had been "severely disrupted" and that it was “forced” to curtail its flight network for the next few days to ‘’cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules’’.   

ALSO READ: Air India Express staff express 'growing discontent' in letter to chairman
 

He said that more than 100 cabin crew members had reported sick just prior to their rostered flight duty since Tuesday night.

"If there are concerns that need to be addressed, the company leadership is available for any discussions. All communication channels remain open - departmental townhalls (one pre-scheduled for Thursday), monthly all-hands townhall, besides formal and informal reach out to leaders," he noted.

In a communication to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran on May 3, Ashok Perumalla, regional labour commissioner, Delhi, had stated that the concerns of Air India Express employees were "genuine" and the "mismanagement and blatant violations of labour laws were apparent" at the airline.

The turbulence in Tata Group-run airlines has raised concerns within the government. The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday said it has requested a report from Air India Express concerning flight cancellations and urged swift resolution of issues. Additionally, the airline has been instructed to uphold passenger facilities in accordance with DGCA regulations.

The issues at Air India Express came to the fore when Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), which represents a faction of the airline's cabin crew members, wrote a letter to Chandrasekaran on April 26 to say: "There is a glaring lack of equality in the treatment of employees. Salaries, experience and merits are being disregarded, with internal job postings now being filled by candidates external to Air India Express, by passing qualified internal candidates." 

The union said mismanagement has affected employee morale. It alleged that several allowances, previously included in their salary before the merger process commenced, have been eliminated. Despite the airline consistently posting profits, this has effectively resulted in salary reductions, the union pointed out.

Singh, however, pointed out that the act (of over 100 cabin crew members to call in sick at the last minute) is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues in the company ‘’who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride’’.

The Tata Group has been grappling with significant operational challenges for several weeks, stemming from employee discontent at its airlines regarding new policies introduced as part of the merger.

‘’We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date,’’ said the airline spokesperson.  

MERGER TURBULENCE
 

Flight disruptions leave hundreds of passengers stranded across various airports
 

Air India Express cabin crew protests against “inequality” in their treatment compared to counterparts at AIX Connect
 

Civil aviation ministry seeks report from the airline on flight delays and cancellations
 

In April, Vistara cut down capacity by 10% after some pilots flagged concerns over salary packages