Sick leave disruption: Air India Express fires 25 cabin crew members

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Air India Express aircraft (Photo: Reuters/Almaas Masood)

3 min read Last Updated : May 09 2024 | 5:40 PM IST

Air India Express has terminated the employment of 25 cabin crew members who called in sick at the last minute on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 176 flights, sources privy to the development said.


The airline, which cancelled 85 flights on Thursday, is receiving help from its parent company, Air India, which is operating flights on 20 of its routes. On Thursday afternoon, Ashok Preumalla, regional labour commissioner (central), Delhi, conducted a “conciliation” meeting with the management of Air India Express and the Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) in an effort to address the issues at hand.

Over 100 cabin crew members have taken sick leave at the last minute since Tuesday, disrupting the airline’s flight operations. Air India Express, in a termination letter issued to one of the cabin crew members, stated: “You informed the scheduling team at the last moment that you were unwell…It is noted that at or around the same time, an overwhelming number of other cabin crew members have also reported sick…This clearly points to a premeditated and concerted absenteeism from work without any justifiable reason.”


“Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding to not operate the flight and to disrupt the services of the company. This is not only in violation of the applicable laws, but also violates the airline’s service rules…In view of the above, the company has decided to terminate your employment with immediate effect,” it added.


On the matter of this termination, the airline’s spokesperson stated that while the carrier continues to engage with its cabin crew members with a commitment to address their concerns, it is taking “appropriate steps against certain individuals” as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of its passengers.

While about 91 flights were cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday, the spokesperson said the airline cancelled 85 services on Thursday. The airline plans to operate a curtailed schedule for the next few days, considering the non-availability of certain cabin crew members. “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,” the spokesperson noted.


The airline’s chief executive officer, Aloke Singh, is also scheduled to hold a town hall meeting with its cabin crew members on Thursday evening to discuss various issues.


On April 26, AIXEU, the union representing around 300 senior cabin crew members of Air India Express, penned a letter to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran. The letter highlighted concerns regarding the removal of allowances, which have resulted in effectively reduced salaries, and the perceived disparity in treatment between Air India Express employees and those of AIX Connect. Both Air India Express and AIX Connect are Tata-run airlines currently undergoing a merger process.

First Published: May 09 2024 | 5:21 PM IST