All Air India Express cabin crew members who had called in sick and were later reprimanded for it by the airline, returned to duty by last Saturday (Mar 11). However, a software glitch in the company’s scheduling software, which was recently introduced, is still displaying staff as sick.
According to a release from the Air India
Additionally, flights scheduled for Sunday (May 12) were cancelled three days ago. To resume flight operations, passengers with bookings must be reconfirmed.
AI Express employees union meets with chief labour commissioner
The Air India Express Employees Union recently held a conciliatory meeting with the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) New Delhi to address the prevailing situation.
“The CLC has conducted marathon proceedings with the representatives of this union and management of the Airlines in a cordial manner and the management agreed to take back the terminated employees forthwith and also resolve all the remaining issues asap. The CLC has adjourned the proceedings to the 28th of May 2024,” the employees union added.
Restoring operations and overturning termination letters
In a meeting, lasting about four and a half hours, on Thursday, an agreement was reached between the crew members and management, addressing all their concerns. Both parties have agreed to restore normal airline operations, leading to the overturning of the termination of 25 crew members.
All affected crew members are prepared to return to work immediately, and management is ready to revoke all termination letters. Another meeting is scheduled for May 28 if the crew members’ demands are not met.
AI Express cancellations echoes Vistara crisis
About 85 flights were cancelled due to sudden sick leave calls from crew members, resulting in grounded flights on both domestic and international routes. Some senior crew members reportedly switched off their mobile phones just before flight operations, citing health
The Ministry of Civil Aviation
