Air India Express cancelled over 80 flights and scores of flights were delayed after a section of crew members called in sick alleging 'mismanagement'. The mass sick leave left many passengers in a limbo, among them was former civil aviation minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. "If the flight got cancelled, passenger should be informed in morning itself...thousands of passenger are suffering unnecessarily. Air India (sic) should be shut down again. Air India’s culture and foundation is weak, they will not change," the former union minister said after his flight got disrupted. At least 78 international and domestic Air India Express flights were cancelled after senior crew members reported sick overnight without notice. The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has sought a report from Air India Express regarding the cancellations and asked the airline to resolve issues promptly. The Ministry also advised the airline to ensure facilities for passengers as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation norms.
In a statement earlier, an Air India Express spokesperson said, "A section of our cabin crew 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," it added.
The spokesperson also urged passengers flying with Air India Express today "to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport". Flight disruptions were reported at various airports, including Kochi, Calicut and Bangalore, they added. The airline, which is in the process of merging AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) with itself, is to operate 360 daily flights during the summer schedule that started in the last week of March. Discontent has been brewing among cabin crew members at the low-cost carrier for a while, especially after the start of the merger process. Air India Express, now owned by the Tata Group, was issued a show cause notice by the Union Labour Ministry in December 2023 for alleged violations of regulations related to disputes between the airline's management and cabin crew members.