85 more flights canceled due to crew shortage, Air India Express will operate on 20 routes

A crew shortage forced Air India Express to cancel 85 flights on Thursday. In an effort to minimize flight disruptions, the airline said it will continue to operate on 20 of its routes. In protest of alleged mismanagement at the airline, a portion of the Air India Express crew has gone on leave, claiming to be unwell. This has led to the cancellation of over 90 flights since Tuesday night. Meanwhile, negotiations have begun at the Chief Labour Commissioner's office in Delhi between the union and the management of Air India Express.

“We will operate 283 flights today,” the airline said in a statement. We have mobilized all resources and Air India will help us by taking over operations on our 20 routes. “However, we have 74 flights canceled and we urge our guests to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before traveling to the airport.”

The airline said that if their flights are canceled or delayed by more than three hours, passengers can choose to get a full refund without any charges or reschedule their tickets for a later date. The number of canceled flights is 74, which is about 20 percent of the airline's scheduled daily flights.

Earlier in the day, sources said the airline had issued termination notices to 25 crew members who reported sick, and other personnel have been asked to return for duty by 4 pm on Thursday. Air India Express said it is taking appropriate action against some people.

The airline said, "We will continue to liaise with our crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concerns. We are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused serious inconvenience to thousands of our guests. "

Air India Express spokesperson said, "Air India Express is making every possible effort to minimize the inconvenience caused to our guests due to this unprecedented situation. We will operate 283 flights today. We have mobilized all resources and Air India will assist us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, we urge our guests to check if their flights are affected by the disruption before traveling to the airport. If the event is canceled, or delayed by more than 3 hours, they can opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any charges on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on Tia."

The meeting of Air India Express Union and Management is being held today at the office of the Chief Labor Commissioner in Dwarka, Delhi. The Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) of Air India Express management is attending the meeting today. Earlier on Thursday, Air India Express also canceled more than 85 flights due to crew members not reporting for work. Due to this, Air India Express flights were canceled on a large scale on Wednesday also.