Air India Express crisis” ‘Sick’ crew members laid off. Click to know updates

Amidst ongoing flight disruptions caused by a mass sick leave protest by senior Air India Express crew members, the airline has initiated layoffs of cabin crew members involved in Wednesday’s sick leave incident. 

The protest, which led to the cancellation of at least 86 flights and the curtailment of operations until May 13, stems from discontent with the Tata Group management’s decision to merge Air India Express with AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, a fully-owned subsidiary of the conglomerate that owns Air India.

Air India Express has terminated the employment of 25 cabin crew members who called in sick at the last minute on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 176 flights, sources privy to the development said

Here are the latest developments:

1.) The termination letter was sent last night to at least 25 employees who participated in the mass leaves. As many as 327 senior crew members had reported being “sick” a few hours before their flights and switched off their phones.

2.) The letter said that the “overwhelming” number of participating crew members, “clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason.” Not being available for work is a violation of the employee contract, it stated

3.) The layoffs are effective immediately and from the date of the letter, the communication noted

4.) The flight cancellations continued on Thursday as well, with more than 70 services affected. On Wednesday, Aloke Singh, CEO, Air India Express, remarked that the strike was not representative of the “2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues who continue to respond to the call of duty

5.) Air India Express, a low-cost carrier, is the second Tata Group airline to have seen employee protests in recent months. 

The airline plans to operate a curtailed schedule for the next few days, considering the non-availability of certain cabin crew members. “We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilized all resources, and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes,” the spokesperson noted.