New Delhi: Air India Express has reduced its flight operation by 20% over the next few days in view of the mass sick leave to taken by a section of cabin crew. The cabin crew is learnt to have resorted to mass leave in protest against the management’s lackadaisical approach in resolving their grievances pertaining to 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 AIX chief executive Aloke Singh in a note to employees.
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A townhall is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday). An AIX spokesman said that they were engaging in talks with dissatisfied crew. “Our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimize any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” he added.
Over 100 cabin crew members went on sick leave
Reports say that over 100 cabin crew members, mostly senior, have gone on mass sick leave since the evening of 7 May, resulting in more than 90 flight cancellations. In view of severe shortage of crew member, the Tata Group-backed airline has to reduce as many as 48 flight operations. The airline is currently operating around 240 domestic and international flights daily.
There are around 2,000 cabin crew members in the airline. All the crew members have been told to reach out to the airline to discuss their issues related to the merger. Officials said that the crew members were seeking changes in their roles as per their seniority and cultural shifts towards a more corporate environment, which they had with AIX Connect. This transformation is a departure from Air India Express’s previous international-only focus.
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Tata Group acquired Air India Express
Air India 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 Air India Express and a more international approach for the merged entity of Air India and Vistara.
Merger issue not new for Tata-Group backed airlines
A section of Air India officials said that merger issues are not new for Tata Group-backed airlines. Last month, Vistara had to cancel several flights for want of required pilots. It has been said that the civil aviation ministry has expressed its concern over the mass leave taken by AIX crew members and called for a report from the airline about cancellation of flights. The ministry also asked the airline management to resolve issues promptly.
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Airline told to follow DGCA norms
The ministry of civil aviation has also advised the airline to ensure proper facilities for passengers as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms. Additionally, airport operators have been asked to provide proactive assistance to passengers affected due to flight cancellations or delays.
AIX Connect has a 5.8% stake in the domestic aviation market, and, independently, Air India Express is the third largest Indian carrier for the international traffic to and from India. For October-December 2023, the airline held a stake of 7.1% and carried 1.2 million passengers. While it is a major carrier for the West Asia market, it is also expected to expand its network under the broader group synergy exercise with its parent company Air India.
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What’s next?
The Air India Express currently has a fleet size of 73 aircraft, including 28 Airbus A320. It is set to increase the fleet substantially over the next one year as the airline plans to induct at least 50 out of the 190-Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that Air India ordered in February 2023. As proposed, the airline will be inducting an aircraft every 10 days and expects to complete whole induction of 50 aircraft by the end of 2024. This meant, it will have 180 aircraft by the end of five years.
AIX plans to double market share in domestic flights
The Tata Group-backed airline, which plans to double its market share in domestic and short-haul international air travel segments over five years, will increase its frequencies to international and domestic destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Jeddah, Sharjah, Ayodhya, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kannur, Kolkata, Kochi, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, and Varanasi.
