Air India Express Dismisses 30 Crew Members Over Mass Sick Leave

In Short

• Airline alleges pre-meditated abstention from work
• Sick leave violated applicable laws and service rules
• 74 flights scheduled for Thursday cancelled

In a decisive move, Tata Group-owned Air India Express has terminated the employment of 30 cabin crew members who participated in a mass sick leave without prior notice.

The spontaneous absence of these crew members led to the cancellation of over 100 flights since Tuesday night, severely impacting approximately 15,000 passengers.

The airline has stated that at least 74 flights scheduled for Thursday have been canceled due to the crisis.

According to sources reported by India Today TV, the affected crew members received termination notices on Wednesday night.

In an emailed statement addressing the situation, the airline asserted that the collective sick leave displayed by the crew members suggested a premeditated and coordinated effort to abstain from work without a justifiable cause.

This action, the airline emphasized, not only contravened applicable laws but also violated the Air India Express Limited Employees’ Service Rules.

The airline’s statement outlined that the crew members were originally rostered for a flight on Tuesday but notified the Scheduling team at the last moment of their unavailability due to illness.

Simultaneously, a substantial number of other cabin crew members also reported sick, indicating a synchronized effort to refrain from duty without reasonable grounds, the statement added.

Consequently, a significant number of flights had to be canceled, causing substantial inconvenience to passengers and disrupting the entire flight schedule.

The airline condemned the collective action of the crew members as a deliberate attempt to impede the company’s operations.

As a consequence of their actions, the terminated crew members have been stripped of their employment status, access to official communication channels, and eligibility for company-provided employee benefits.

Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh announced that flight services would be curtailed until May 13 to address the cabin crew crisis and restore operational stability.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has demanded a comprehensive report from the airline regarding the flight delays and cancellations and has urged swift action to resolve the crisis.

The disruptions caused dismay among passengers, particularly due to the lack of prior notification.

Reports indicate that at least 16 Air India Express flights were canceled in Delhi, with disruptions also reported in Bengaluru. In Kerala, multiple flights from all four airports — Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kannur, and Kozhikode — were canceled.

To mitigate the inconvenience faced by affected passengers, the airline has arranged alternative flights and released a revised flight schedule, advising passengers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

These recent developments compound existing discontent among cabin crew members at the low-cost carrier, exacerbated by the ongoing merger process of AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) with Air India Express.

In December 2023, the airline received a show-cause notice from the Union Labour Ministry regarding alleged violations of regulations pertaining to disputes between the management and cabin crew members, including concerns related to room sharing during layovers.