Air India Express Fires 30 Employees Over Mass Sick Leave, Issues Warning to Others
Crisis Deepens as Airline Disruptions Lead to Flight Cancellations, Allegations of Unfair Treatment Surface
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th May. Air India Express has terminated the employment of 30 cabin crew members after nearly 300 employees called in sick and turned off their phones, causing significant flight disruptions. The number of job terminations is expected to rise. The management has given a deadline for employees to return to work by 4 pm today or face consequences.
A total of 76 flights have been canceled today, escalating the disruptions into a major crisis for the low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Air India now owned by the Tata group.
Employees have been protesting against new employment terms, citing unequal treatment and discrepancies in job roles and compensation. These issues are arising during the airline’s merger with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India).
This crisis adds to the recent troubles faced by the Tata group, following disruptions at Vistara due to pilot protests over various issues.
An Air India Express spokesperson stated that the management is in talks with the crew to understand the reasons behind the mass sick leave and is working to minimize passenger inconvenience. A town hall meeting with cabin crew members is planned for today.
The termination letter to the 30 crew members mentioned that the mass sick leave was a deliberate and unjustifiable act that disrupted flight schedules, inconvenienced passengers and caused reputational and financial harm to the company.
The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) has accused the airline of mismanagement and unequal treatment of staff, although the airline does not recognize any employee unions.
The regional labor commissioner has acknowledged the employees’ grievances as legitimate and has called for a high-level committee to address these issues and improve the functioning of the HR department for better industrial relations.
