In a statement, the airline said a section of the cabin crew members called in sick at the last minute and it is engaging with the disgruntled crew members.
There was chaos at several airports as hundreds of passengers were left stranded. Air India Express has also apologised to passengers for the cancellations.
CNBC-TV18 has also accessed a letter that Air India Express employee’s Union had written to Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on 26th April.
The union had alleged there is growing unrest and dissatisfaction among employees after the takeover by Tata Group. The staff also alleged inequality in payrolls and hiring, further claiming that they are mistreated and side-lined by new candidates.
Read Here | Civil Aviation ministry seeks report over Air India Express flight cancellations
Sanjay Lazar, Aviation Expert & CEO at Avialaz Consultants highlighted parallels between this situation and previous challenges faced during the merger of Vistara. He emphasised the complexity of merging disparate aviation entities with varying structures, hierarchies, and compensation schemes into a unified whole.
Lazar noted the significance of the ongoing communication between the trade union and the company’s leadership, suggesting it’s part of a broader strategy towards merging multiple aviation entities under the Tata Group umbrella.
Lazar emphasised the pivotal role of Human Resources (HR) in any merger, suggesting that an aviation expert, ideally from a neutral third-party entity, should spearhead HR operations. This approach mitigates concerns of bias towards employees of either airline involved in the merger, a scenario observed in both the Vistara and AirAsia, Air India Express cases.
Devesh Agarwal, Chief Analyst at BangaloreAviation.com, drew parallels with the 2007 merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, emphasising the need for a gradual integration process.
He proposed allowing each airline to maintain its operations under its own brand while gradually fostering a corporate culture aligned with a common vision. Agarwal stressed the importance of bridging the cultural gaps between legacy airlines like Air India and more efficiently run entities like Air India Express before pursuing any merger.
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(Edited by : Vijay Anand)