Amid the ongoing disruptions in Air India Express’ flight services, full normalcy in operations is expected by Tuesday, sources told CNBC-TV18. In addition to this, it has been learnt that about 20 flights have been cancelled for Sunday.
Meanwhile, several flights remained cancelled on Friday and Saturday following the cabin crew-related crisis.
The Air India Express crisis erupted after over 90 international and domestic flights of the airlines were cancelled due to mass ‘sick leave’ of the senior crew members. It was reported a section of the employees reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline.
Employees Terminated, Then Reinstated
In an action towards senior crew members who “reported sick” last minute causing disruption in the airline’s services, Air India Express on Wednesday terminated the contract of around 30 employees. However, the airline’s management later sent letters reinstating all crew members who had been sacked for taking part in the ‘mass leave’ protests.
In a letter of termination sent to one of its employees, the airline stated that an overwhelming number of airline crew members reported to be sick at the eleventh hour. “This clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason,” the letter read.
Why Are Pilots Protesting?
The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), which claims to represent around 300 cabin crew members, has raised concerns about mismanagement and unequal treatment of staff over merger with Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara by Tata Group.
The letter written by AIXEU to Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran in April raised several issues, including the removal of allowances such as HRA, resulting in significant salary cuts despite the airline’s profitability. The letter also highlighted lack of equality in treatment of employees, with internal job postings filled by external employees, as mentioned in The Economic Times report.
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