Air India Express has terminated the employment of at least 25 cabin crew members following a significant disruption in operations caused by nearly 300 employees calling in sick and being unreachable via phone. This led to the cancellation of numerous flights. Tata Group-owned Air India Express announced curtailing of flight services until May 13 after senior crew members reported sick without notice, leading to the cancellation of over 100 domestic and international flights since Tuesday night, affecting around 15,000 passengers.
Airline CEO Aloke Singh said "the disruptions have cascaded across the network, forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days". The flight cancellations occurred from Tuesday night to Wednesday. Chaos erupted at a few airports as passengers were outraged that they were not informed beforehand. At least 16 Air India Express flights were cancelled in Delhi on Wednesday, while disruptions were also reported in Bengaluru as well. In Kerala, the airline cancelled multiple flights from all four airports in the state -- Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought a detailed report from the airline over flight delays and cancellation. It asked Air India Express to take swift action to immediately address the crisis. The Ministry further advised the airline to ensure facilities for passengers as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation norms.