Air India Express, which is owned by the Tata Group, has issued an ultimatum to the remaining cabin crew members who have reported sick: return to work by 4 PM on Thursday or risk being fired. According to reports, Air India Express issued termination letters to some of these individuals.
More than 90 flights were cancelled as a result of about 30 cabin crew members reporting sick, according to airline sources on Thursday. As a result, we will be operating 292 flights.
74 of our flights are cancelled on Thursday, 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," the airline said in a statement.
The airline stated that passengers may choose to receive a complete refund or reschedule to a later time without incurring any fees if their flight is canceled or delayed for more than three hours. 74 flights have been canceled, which represents about 20 per cent of the airline's daily scheduled flights.
The inconvenience to passengers was increased on Thursday when 60 more flights were cancelled because cabin crew were not available.
Abrupt mass leaves have severely disrupted the airline's operations, as it employs about 1,400 cabin crew members, 500 of whom are senior members.
Air India Express Chief Executive Aloke Singh emphasized how serious the situation is, saying that the disruptions have affected the entire network and will require schedule changes in the next few days. However, he did not elaborate on the details of the schedule changes.
He emphasised that the bulk of the airline's cabin crew, who continue to serve passengers with pride and dedication, is not represented by the actions of a small number of people.
Apology on Twitter
Air India Express also issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter). We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by unprecedented flight delays and cancellations.
While we are working hard to minimise disruptions, please check your flight status before heading to the airport. If your flight is impacted, please reach out via WhatsApp or airindiaexpress.com/support for refunds, rescheduling, and support.
