Air India Express crisis: 70 flights cancelled, crew members take mass sick leaves

Air India Express said that it has cancelled some flights due to a shortage of cabin crew members as a section of them reported sick.

An spokesperson for the airline said as per news agency ANI, “A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result.”

Air India Express apologizes to travellers

The spokesperson added, “We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport.”

This comes after a union representing a section of the ariline’s cabin crew alleged last month that the airline is being mismanaged and there is a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff. Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees as well.

Passengers complain about Air India Express cancellations

Some passengers complained about the sudden cancellation of flights on social media. Responding to a passenger’s post on X (formerly Twitter) about flight cancellation, Air India Express said the flight was cancelled “due to operational reasons”.

“As part of our service recovery process, you can either opt to reschedule the flight within the next 7 days or request a full refund through our chat bot Tia…,” the airline said.