Air India Express has terminated at least 25 cabin crew members, following a day where hundreds of employees reported sick, leading to disruptions in flights. The airline has cancelled 85 flights and plans to operate 283 flights on Thursday.
According to sources within the airline, management terminated cabin crew members who took sick leave between Tuesday and Wednesday due to their unprofessional behaviour, causing inconvenience to passengers.
An Air India Express spokesperson stated, “While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues to address any concerns, we are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests.”
The company has scheduled a town hall meeting for Thursday at 2 pm.
Meanwhile, the airline plans to operate 283 flights, with Air India supporting on 20 routes. However, 85 flights remain cancelled, and passengers are urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
The mass sick leave was deemed a violation of employee service rules, resulting in immediate termination for those involved. CEO Aloke Singh said, “Air India Express is making every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected situation. We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights stand cancelled 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 Ministry of Civil Aviation has asked a detailed report from Air India Express, urging prompt resolution of issues and adherence to DGCA norms for passenger facilities.