'Resolve Issues Promptly': Aviation Ministry Seeks Report From AI Express on Flight Cancellations

New Delhi: Over 80 international and domestic flights of Air India Express have been cancelled while scores of flights have been delayed after nearly 200 crew members of the airline went on mass 'sick leave'. The Civil Aviation Ministry took cognisance of the matter and sought a report from the airline regarding the cancellation of flights and asked them to resolve issues promptly. The ministry also directed the airline to ensure facilities to passengers as per DGCA norms.

Flight disruptions are happening at various airports, including Kochi, Calicut, Delhi and Bengaluru. Scores of Air India Express passengers, mostly scheduled to travel to the Gulf nations, protested at airports in Kerala against last-minute flight cancellations. Some of them claimed that they were informed about the cancellations after the completion of security checks.

An Air India Express spokesperson said the airline is engaging with the cabin crew members to understand the reasons for reporting sick and also apologised for the flight disruptions. Issuing a statement on the matter, Air India Express Spokesperson said, “A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result."

The airlines apologised for the inconvenience saying, "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. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport.”

As per sources, the crew members are reporting sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline. Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.

Many passengers took to social media on Wednesday complaining about the sudden cancellation of flights. In response to a passenger's post on X about flight cancellation, Air India Express apologised and said the flight was cancelled "due to operational reasons". "As part of our service recovery process, you can either opt to reschedule the flight within the next 7 days or request a full refund through our chat bot Tia...," the airline said in a post on X.

Earlier last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline is being mismanaged and there is a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff. Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, which claims to represent around 300 cabin crew members, mostly seniors, had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.

The mass sick leave by Air India Express crew members comes a month after Tata Group full-service carrier Vistara witnessed pilot woes, forcing it to temporarily cut down capacity by 10 per cent or 25-30 flights daily. As part of consolidating its airline business, Tata Group is merging Air India Express and AIX Connect, as well as Vistara with Air India.

In December 2023, Air India Express was issued a show cause notice by the Union Labour Ministry for alleged violations of regulations related to disputes between the airline's management and cabin crew members. The notice was prompted by concerns raised by cabin crew members, particularly regarding challenges with room sharing during layovers.

The show cause notice was issued a month after AIXEU had written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia regarding various grievances raised by the cabin crew members, which also included the curtailment of service contracts for some members.