Air India Express cancels over 90 flights after cabin crew calls in sick en mass

Flight cancellations after en mass sick leave: Air India Express has cancelled over 90 flights since Tuesday evening as several of its senior cabin crew have called in sick protesting against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline, which has left thousands of passengers stranded at various airports in the country.

A large number of flights have also been delayed and prospective passengers of Air India Express, mostly scheduled to travel to the Gulf nations, protested at airports in Kerala against flight cancellations as many of them were informed only after the security checks.

The civil aviation ministry on Wednesday sought a report from Air India Express on the flight cancellations and also asked the airline to resolve the issues promptly.

A press release issued by Air India Express said, “ 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,”

“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,” said the statement.  Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport, said the Air India Express spokesperson. 

(With PTI inputs)