Air India Express Cancels Multiple Flights After Crew Goes on Mass Sick Leave

More than 70 international and domestic flights of Air India Express from Tuesday night till Wednesday morning have been cancelled after the senior crew members of the airline went on mass ‘sick leave’.

An Air India Express spokesperson released a media statement acknowledging the flight disruption due to mass sick leaves and requested the flyers to check with the airline about the status of their flight.

“A section of our 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.” – Air India Express Spokesperson

Late last month, a union representing a section of the carrier’s cabin crew accused the airline of “mismanagement” and a “lack of equality” in how it treated employees.

The Air India Express Employees Union, a registered union that claims to represent approximately 300 cabin crew members, the majority of whom are seniors, has also alleged that mismanagement of affairs has harmed employee morale.

Many passengers took to social media on Wednesday complaining about the sudden cancellation of flights.

In response to a passenger’s post on X about flight cancellation, Air India Express apologized and said the flight was cancelled “due to operational reasons”.

@AirIndiaX @TataCompanies around Four AirIndia Express Flights Delayed from Calicut … As per the officials there is a strike happening from the Crew members. Only Muscat flight is boarded and other flights are not yet updated the time.#mediaone #AirIndiaExpress#Elecciones24 pic.twitter.com/fsbuE9iTXk

— hisham backer (@HishamBacker) May 7, 2024

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.