During a meeting lasting approximately four and a half hours to address the human resource crisis at Air India Express, an agreement was reached with the crew members, addressing all their concerns. Both the crew and management have agreed to restore normal airline operations, resulting in the reversal of the termination of 25 crew members.
According to the crew members who spoke to ANI, all dissatisfied crew members are prepared to return to work immediately, and the management is willing to rescind all termination letters.
The meeting took place at the office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC), with four officers and the Chief Human Resource Officer of Air India Express in attendance. Around 20 senior crew members also participated. Another meeting is scheduled for May 28 if the crew members’ demands are not met.
Approximately 85 flights were cancelled due to sudden sick leave calls from crew members. Air India Express issued an apology for the inconvenience caused after many of its flights, predominantly international ones, were either cancelled or delayed because of senior crew members calling in sick. Flights were grounded due to the sudden shortage of crew members, affecting both domestic and international routes. Some senior crew members reportedly turned off their mobile phones just before flight operations, citing health issues.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation demanded a detailed report from Air India Express on the matter and urged the airline to resolve the issues promptly. This incident at Air India Express follows similar issues encountered by Vistara in April, where hundreds of flights were affected due to pilots calling in sick.