Air India Express to curtail flights over next few days amid crew crisis: CEO

Tata Group-owned Air India Express operates around 360 flights daily in the ongoing summer schedule that started in late March.

Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh on May 8 said that the airline will be reducing flights over the next few days due to a significant number of cabin crew reporting sick just before their scheduled duties.

This disruption has led to the cancellation of over 90 flights, affecting operations across the network, Singh said in a statement, adding that this behaviour is not reflective of the majority of the airline’s cabin crew, who continue to serve with dedication.

“Since last evening, over a 100 of our cabin crew colleagues have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty, at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations. Because this action was mostly by colleagues assigned L1 role, the impact was disproportionate, disrupting 90+ flights even though other colleagues reported for duty,” the CEO said in a statement.

Colleagues from Operations, Network, Commercial, Airport Services, IOCC, have been working hard to mitigate the impact of the disruptions, he added.

Singh also said that if there are concerns that need to be addressed, the company leadership is available for any discussions.

"Let's work together to embrace this transformation and change, and support a competency-based, customer-centric organisation that the market demands. We owe it to our guests, trade partners, and to the rest of our 6,500+ colleagues. Hope to see things get resolved soon," he said.

Meanwhile, an Air India Express spokesperson has informed that the flyers affected by the cancellation of nearly 90 flights due to mass sick leave of the airline’s employees, are being accommodated on alternative flights, including those of the Group airlines.

“Keeping guest convenience in mind, we have mobilised all our resources and revised our flight schedule. We are also accommodating affected guests on alternative flights, including those of Group airlines, to ensure they reach their destinations at the earliest.”

“…If their (Air India Express flyer) flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on airindiaexpress.com,” the spokesperson added.

Earlier today, the carrier apologised for the convenience after over 90 of its flights, most of them international, were either cancelled or delayed due to senior crew members calling in sick.

In a major flight disruption, more than 70 international and domestic flights of Air India Express were cancelled or delayed due to senior crew members calling in sick. The situation has raised concerns within the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which is closely monitoring the developments.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has called for a detailed report from Air India Express regarding the recent cancellation of flights and has urged the airline to promptly resolve the issues. This incident comes shortly after Vistara encountered similar issues in April, when hundreds of flights were affected due to pilots calling in sick.

Tata Group-owned Air India Express operates around 360 flights daily in the ongoing summer schedule that started in late March.