Air India Express Strike: Kannur Airport incurs loss of Rs 5 crores in two days; report

The strike at Tata-owned Air India Express concluded following negotiations between the union and management, resulting in the withdrawal of termination letters for 25 crew members. Services, including those in Kerala, are expected to return to normal within two days. The Kannur airport reportedly incurred a loss of Rs 5 crores in just 2 days.

Kannur: The strike by Air India Express has resulted in significant revenue loss for Kannur airport, estimated to be over Rs 5 crores in two days. Additionally, approximately 4000 people were affected by the disruption, experiencing interruptions to their travel plans.

Meanwhile, the strike at Tata-owned Air India Express was called off on Thursday evening following a tense five-hour standoff between the union and management. Management agreed to consider the demands of the workers and decided to reinstate 25 crew members who were terminated for reporting sickness.

Air India Express extended its flight cancellations from Kannur, affecting routes to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi on Thursday (May 09). Among the cancellations, the 4:20 pm Sharjah flight was abruptly cancelled. To date, four flights have been cancelled from Kannur, including two-morning departures from the previous day. Additionally, flights to Muscat and Dammam were suspended on Wednesday (May 08).

A section of the cabin crew began reporting sick from Tuesday night in protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline. This led to the cancellation of over 170 flights, affecting thousands of passengers at various airports.

Following the issuance of termination letters to 25 crew members, the airline set a deadline of 4 p.m. for other crew members who had reported sick to return to work or face strict consequences. 

The decisions to end the strike and withdraw the termination letters were reached during a conciliation meeting between representatives of the Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) and management at the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) on Thursday.