Air India Express cancelled more than 80 international and domestic flights from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning due to a mass 'sick leave' taken by senior crew members of the airline, news agency ANI reported citing sources. Civil Aviation authorities are currently investigating the situation, it added.
What did Air India Express Spokesperson say?
Air India Express Spokesperson said that a section of cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. "While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result. We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport," the spokesperson added as per ANI.
Vistara faced similar issues
According to sources within the ministry, the cancellations and delays began on Tuesday night and persisted into Wednesday morning, forcing the airline to curtail its scheduled operations. The sudden sick leave by senior crew members has highlighted operational challenges faced by the airline industry. This incident comes shortly after Vistara encountered similar issues on April 1, when more than 100 flights were severely affected due to pilots calling in sick.
Employees Union alleges mismanagement by airline
Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, which claims to represent around 300 cabin crew members had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees. The development at Air India Express comes a month after Tata Group full-service carrier Vistara witnessed pilot woes, forcing it to temporarily cut down capacity by 10 per cent or 25-30 flights daily. As part of consolidating its airline business, Tata Group is merging Air India Express and AIX Connect, as well as Vistara with Air India. On Wednesday, many passengers took to social media complaining about the sudden cancellation of flights by Air India Express.
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