Around 30 AI Express cabin crew members terminated after mass sick leave, 74 flights cancelled

Around 30 employees of Tata Group's Air India Express have been terminated after they went on a mass sick leave, leading to cancellation of more than 100 flights and widespread passenger woes. These employees are senior cabin crew members. 

Flight cancellations occurred from Tuesday night till Wednesday due to absence of employees. This caused chaos at a few airports as passengers were upset that the airline did not inform them beforehand.

At least 16 AI Express flights were cancelled in Delhi on Wednesday and disruptions were also reported in Bengaluru. The airline cancelled multiple flights from all our four airports in Kerala-- Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode. 

The airline said in an emailed statement to the concerned cabin crew members that the move "pointed to a pre-meditated and concerted abstentation from work without any justifiable reason." The Tata Group-owned airline said the mass sick leave not only violated the applicable but also "violated the Air India Express Limited Employees' Service Rules as are applicable to you."

The statement by the airline also said that this action by the employees was not only detrimental to public interest but also caused embarrassment and "severe reputational damage, and serious monetary loss to the Company." As per the company mail, the employees violated clauses pertaining to roster and flying duties.

The employees also violated the additional undertakings that mentioned the employees will maintain the "highest standard of work ethic, character, and conduct." "Your act amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, to not operate the flight and to disrupt services of the company," the letter further read. 

As it terminated the services of the cabin crew members, the airline said, "You will no longer be considered an employee; you will no longer have access to official mails, servers, other communication; and you and your dependants shall not be eligible for any employee-related benefits provided by the company."

The emailed statement came after Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh announced that the airline is curtailing flight services till May 13 due to the cabin crew situation. "The disruptions have cascaded across the network, forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days... We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules," he said.

Meanwhile, 74 Air India Express flights have been cancelled due to the cabin crew crisis, according to an airline spokesperson. The airline also said that if the flight is cancelled or delayed beyond 3 hours, customers can opt for a full refund or reschedule their flights for a later date without any fees via WhatsApp or on Air India Express website. 

The airline spokesperson said: “Air India Express is making every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected situation. We will be operating 292 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 74 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on airindiaexpress.com. While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concern, we are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests."