Air India Express expects normalcy in operations in next 2 days

Air India Express that had to cancel scores of flights owing to a strike by a section of its cabin crew – who it had fired and then reinstated – expects its operations to return to normal in the coming couple of days, starting Friday. 

Cabin crew members have gradually reported for duty after a strike that led to multiple cancellations was called off. More than 170 flights were called off starting Tuesday due to the strike. The Tata Group that runs Air India Express, operates around 380 flights daily, and had to curtail operations in the wake of the strike. An official said that normalcy is expected in the next two days. 

The official also said that the cabin crew who are returning from the strike are being helped by the airline to get their fitness certificate, which is required to resume duty.

The international flight operations are also expected to pick up from Friday. 

The airline operates 260 domestic and 120 international flights daily. On Thursday, the airline had to cancel 85 flights. 

Once the strike was called off, the airline said it will work to swiftly restore the flight schedule and also apologised to passengers impacted due to the disruptions. 

Many cabin crew members had reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline and lack of equality in treatment of staff. Air India Express -- which is in the process of completing the merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself -- has around 6,000 employees, including over 2,000 cabin crew.