Air India’s low-cost subsidiary Air India Express canceled 85 flights on Thursday amid mass sick leave of cabin crew. The cancellations affected almost a quarter of its entire flight schedule. In a statement, the airline said it would operate 283 flights on Thursday.
«We have mobilized all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes,» said the airline spokesperson. The company has advised customers to check if their flight is affected before leaving for the airport.
«If their flight is canceled or delayed by more than three hours, they can opt for a full refund or reschedule it for a later date without any charge,» Air India Express said.
According Indian media reportsThe airline planned to cancel 40 flights every day until May 13. However, the cabin crew withdrew their protest as Air India Express agreed to investigate the matter, according to pti news agency.
What is the problem?
Starting Tuesday afternoon, suggested reports About 300 of the airline’s cabin crew began calling in sick. Staff also turned off their phones. This led to the cancellation of over 90 Air India Express flights till Wednesday night.
The mass absence of cabin crew comes amid the merger of Air India Express with low-cost sister airline AIX Connect, formerly known as AirAsia India.
Tata Sons, which owns the two airlines along with full-service airlines Vistara and Air India, is consolidating its airline business. As part of their strategy, the two budget airlines will merge to operate as a single low-cost airline.
A section of the cabin crew has alleged mismanagement by the airline, saying staff have been treated unequally. Employees are unhappy because some staff have reportedly been offered jobs at lower positions despite having cleared interviews for higher positions.
They have also alleged that internal jobs are being filled by external candidates, without going through qualified internal personnel. Changes to the employee compensation package as the airline prepares for its merger are also a factor.
Air India Express reaction
In reaction to the cabin crew’s action, Air India Express reportedly issued dismissal letters to 25 cabin crew. According pti news agencyThe remaining cabin crew members who were on sick leave were given an ultimatum to report to work by 4 pm IST on Thursday to avoid dismissal. The airline has already withdrawn these dismissal letters.
«While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concerns, we are taking appropriate action against certain individuals as their actions have caused serious inconvenience,» the airline spokesperson said.
India’s Civil Aviation Ministry has sought a report from the airline on the mass cancellations and asked Air India Express to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
A repeat of Vistara cancellations?
A similar protest was recently seen among pilots of full-service airline Vistara, which is also being merged with Air India by parent company Tata Sons to form a full-service airline.
Between March 31 and April 4, Vistara canceled more than 150 flights, while more than 200 suffered delays of more than two hours due to «crew unavailability.» The airline’s pilots took massive leaves due to expanded workforces and revised pay structures ahead of the merger between Air India and Vistara.
The new salary structure reduced the guaranteed flying hours for first officers from 70 to 40 hours, resulting in cuts of almost INR 80,000 ($960) to INR 140,000 ($1,680) from a salary of INR 340,000 ($4,080).
Some Air India Express employees also face a pay cut ahead of the merger. In a letter to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Air India Express employees said several benefits, including house rent subsidy, have been removed from the new compensation structure. This has led to significant cuts to their pay packages despite the airline’s continued profitability.
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