Air India Takes Action Against 4,000 Employees For Misusing Free Benefits
Air India Takes Action Against 4,000 Employees For Misusi ng Free Benefits ( Representation Image)
The Tata Group-owned airline has taken strict action against thousands of employees after an internal investigation found misuse of the staff travel concession scheme.
Air India has taken disciplinary action against around 4,000 employees after an internal investigation revealed misuse of the airline’s staff travel concession policy. The airline found that several employees had improperly used the facility that provides free or discounted flight tickets to staff and their family members.
The action follows an internal probe into the misuse of benefits under the airline’s Leave Travel Concession (LTC) policy, which allows employees to avail a fixed number of flight tickets each year for themselves and eligible family members such as parents or spouses.
According to the investigation, some employees allegedly booked tickets for individuals who were not their legitimate family members. In several cases, these tickets were reportedly sold at higher prices to other passengers, allowing employees to earn profits through the misuse of the scheme.
Air India employs around 24,000 people, and the investigation found that nearly 16 percent of the workforce had been involved in violating the policy.
The airline has initiated recovery of the financial gains made through such misuse and has also imposed penalties on employees found guilty of violating company rules. The exact financial loss to the airline has not been officially disclosed.
Following the incident, Air India has tightened the rules governing staff travel benefits. Employees seeking to use the scheme will now have to submit proper documentation verifying their relationship with the nominated passengers.
The airline has also indicated that stronger internal verification and compliance mechanisms will be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future. Employees will undergo stricter checks before tickets are issued under the staff travel programme.
Air India, which returned to the Tata Group after its acquisition in January 2022, is currently undergoing a major transformation aimed at improving operations, governance and service standards.
Officials have emphasised that the company will not tolerate violations of its code of conduct and will continue to strengthen oversight systems to ensure transparency and accountability within the organisation.
