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Air India Express passengers faced major disruption on Wednesday as at least 86 flights were canceled. The reason? A coordinated “mass sick leave” by around 300 senior cabin crew members. These crew members reportedly called in sick at the last minute and switched off their phones, grounding domestic and international flights.
Sources claim this is a protest against new employment terms implemented after the airline’s acquisition by the Tata Group. Cabin crew are unhappy with alleged unequal treatment and changes to their compensation packages.
@AirIndiaX @TataCompanies around Four AirIndia Express Flights Delayed from Calicut … As per the officials there is a strike happening from the Crew members. Only Muscat flight is boarded and other flights are not yet updated the time.#mediaone #AirIndiaExpress#Elecciones24 pic.twitter.com/fsbuE9iTXk
— hisham backer (@HishamBacker) May 7, 2024
Air India Express is working to resolve the issue and minimize passenger inconvenience. They apologized for the disruption and assured affected passengers a full refund or rebooking on another date.
This incident follows similar discontent among pilots at Vistara, another Tata Group airline soon to merge with Air India. Vistara also experienced cancellations due to pilot concerns about new contracts.
Also read – Indian Airlines Poised to Capture Half of International Passenger Market by 2028
