Facing a shortage of cabin crew, Air India Express on Thursday canceled 74 flights and said Air India will operate services on 20 of its routes to minimize disruption.
A section of cabin crew has called in sick to protest alleged mismanagement by the airline, which has resulted in the cancellation of more than 90 flights since Tuesday night.
“Today we will operate 292 flights. We have mobilized all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 74 of our flights are canceled and we urge our guests who booked to fly with us to check if their “The flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport,” the airline said in a statement.
In the event that their flight is canceled or delayed by more than three hours, the airline said passengers can opt for a full refund or reschedule for a later date without any charge.
The number of canceled flights, 74, translates to about 20 percent of the airline’s daily scheduled flights.
Earlier in the day, sources said the airline issued layoff notices to 25 cabin crew members who had called in sick and asked others to return to work by 4 p.m. on Thursday.
In this context, Air India Express said it is taking appropriate action against certain persons.
“While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concerns, we are taking appropriate action against certain individuals as their actions have caused serious inconvenience to thousands of our guests,” it added.