Flight operations of Air India Express have been significantly disrupted due to a shortage of cabin crew, leading to the cancellation of over 100 flights since Tuesday night (May 07). Air India Express extended its flight cancellations from Kannur, affecting routes to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi on Thursday (May 09).
Kannur: Over 100 Air India Express flights were canceled since Tuesday night due to a substantial number of cabin crew members calling in sick to protest against alleged mismanagement within the Tata Group-owned airline. This has resulted in disruption for approximately 15,000 passengers.
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 yesterday.
All flights scheduled to Kerala from the UAE have been called off until Monday. However, passengers have not yet been informed about refund options or alternative arrangements.
To tackle the shortage of cabin crew, the airline has decided to scale back flights until May 13. It's worth noting that Air India Express usually operates around 360 flights daily, serving both domestic and international routes. On Wednesday, the civil aviation ministry requested a report from Air India Express regarding the flight cancellations and urged the airline to address the issues promptly.
Flight disruptions have occurred at several airports, including Kochi, Calicut, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Both domestic and international services, including flights to various Gulf countries, have been affected. Specifically, at Delhi airport, 14 flights operated by the carrier were canceled from 4 am to 4 pm on Wednesday. To address the situation, Air India Express is reportedly planning to leverage synergies with other Tata Group airlines, namely Air India and Vistara.
Air India Express on Wednesday terminated the contract of some senior cabin crew members who ‘reported sick’ disrupting its flight operations. When asked why they laid off employees who did not show up for work, the airlines stated that it was a "premeditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason."
In a letter of termination delivered to one of its workers, the airline indicated that a large number of airline staff members reported being unwell at the last minute. "This clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason," the letter continued.