Air India Express has given an ultimatum to the remaining cabin crew members reporting sick to join back duty by 4 pm on Thursday or face termination. This comes after The Tata Group-owned airline issued termination letters to around 25 cabin crew members who reported sick that led to the cancellation of more than 90 flights on Wednesday. There are around 1,400 cabin crew, including about 500 at the senior level, at the airline.Over 200 cabin crew started reporting sick from Tuesday night to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline that caused the cancellation of over 90 flights.
The mass leave is believed to be a result of grievances related to the ongoing merger with AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India.“If there are concerns that need to be addressed, the company leadership is available for any discussions. All communication channels remain open - departmental townhalls, monthly all-hands townhall, besides formal and informal reach out to leaders," said Air India Express chief executive Aloke Singh in a note to employees.
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A townhall is scheduled today. The company, which employs around 2,000 cabin crew members, has asked the staff to reach out to the airline to discuss their grievances related to the merger.AI Express was acquired by the Tata Group, along with Air India, in a government-led strategic divestment programme in January 2022. The airline is in the middle of integrating with AIX Connect. Simultaneously, there is also a transformation taking place within the Air India group, which will bring a more domestic focus for AI Express and a more international approach for the merged entity of Air India and Vistara. Merger issues are not new for Tata Group-backed airlines. Last month, Vistara had to cancel several flights due to a shortage of pilots.