AI Express Cabin Crew Calls off Strike; Airline to Reinstate 25 Terminated Employees

Air India Express on Thursday agreed to withdraw termination letters issued to 25 cabin crew members. The move came following a meeting of Air India Express management with the protesting crew, convened by the Chief Labour Commissioner at 2 pm today. Following the move, a section of Air India Express cabin crew has decided to withdraw the strike and join back for duty.

Earlier in the day, the airline terminated the contract of at least 25 senior crew members who “reported sick” a day ago, even as the carrier continued to reel from flight cancellations since Tuesday night.

In a statement, the Chief Labour Commissioner said that after detailed discussions, deliberation and persuasion, the representative of the union (members of the cabin crew) has agreed that all the cabin crew members who have reported sick will report for duty with a fitness certificate immediately.

“On appeal of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), the management agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew who were terminated on May 7 and 8, 2024 for reporting sick as a concerted action immediately,” it said.

It further said that Air India Express management will review the cases of these cabin crew as per service regulations.

“The representatives of the management assured that all the issues of cabin crew raised before the management and during conciliation proceedings will be looked into and resolved,” it added.

The sudden mass sick leave taken by cabin crew had put the Tata Group-owned airline in trouble, as it had to cancel more than 170 flights since Tuesday night. More than 200 cabin crew had started reporting sick from Tuesday night to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline.

Air India Express Apologies To Flyers For Inconvenience

After the protesting crew members agreed to come back to work, Air India Express apologised to flyers who were inconvenienced by the “unintended disruptions”.

In a statement, a spokesperson of the airline said, “We are pleased with the progress we made at the conciliation meeting and welcome our cabin crew colleagues back at work. This will help us swiftly restore our flight schedule and fulfil our commitments to our guests. We sincerely apologise to those inconvenienced by these unintended disruptions. It is not in keeping with our usual service standards, and we will review it internally to ensure accountability.”

“As we gradually bring our operations back to normalcy, we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check their flight status before heading to the airport. If their 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 http://airindiaexpress.com,” they added.

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