Air India Express has laid off at least 25 cabin crew members, a day after hundreds of employees called in sick and did not show up for work, leading to disruptions in flight operations.
According to airline sources, management on Wednesday dismissed cabin crew members who had taken sick leave between Tuesday and Wednesday due to their unprofessional behavior, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers.
The mass sick leave was considered a premeditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason, violating the employee service standards of Air India Express Limited.
The decision to terminate the employees was made because their actions violated the conditions outlined in their employment contracts, which led to their immediate dismissal.
The disruption caused by mass sick leave affected more than 95 Air India Express flights between Tuesday night and Wednesday, affecting more than 10,000 passengers.
The disruption in flight operations was due to the delay and cancellation of more than 90 domestic and international flights due to cabin crew members calling in sick. Responding to this, Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh announced plans to reduce flight operations in the coming days.
Singh said that since Tuesday night, “more than 100 cabin crew colleagues have called in sick before their flight shift, at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations. Because this action was mainly carried out by colleagues assigned to the L1 role, the impact was disproportionate, disrupting more than 90 flights despite other colleagues reporting to work.
He emphasized that the behavior of a few does not represent the dedication of the majority of the airline’s cabin crew, who continue to serve guests with dedication and pride.
“This act is certainly not representative of the company’s approximately 2,000 cabin crew colleagues who continue to answer the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride. I am grateful to everyone who supports the airline at this time. . of crisis,” he said in a statement.
Singh invited staff to talk to address any concerns they may have and assured that all channels of communication are open.
The cancellations and delays prompted the Ministry of Civil Aviation to request a detailed report from Air India Express. The ministry urged the airline to quickly resolve the issues and ensure that passengers are provided facilities as per DGCA norms.
Ministry sources revealed that the cancellations and delays began on Tuesday night and continued until Wednesday morning, resulting in flight operations being reduced due to a sudden crew shortage. Some senior crew members allegedly switched off their mobile phones just before flight operations, citing health problems. (ME TOO)