Air India Express has been forced to cancel over 90 flights by the evening of May 8 after crew staged a mass sick leave on the evening of May 7, Times of India reported. Around 13,000 passengers were impacted and left stranded at various airports across the country. The Financial Times reported that since May 8, the airline has cancelled at over 170 flights in total.
It was also reported that Air India had terminated 30 cabin crew members who were part of the approximate 300 members of staff that simultaneously called in sick. The airline operates 350-400 flights daily, but will reduce its flight by around 40 per day until May 13. It was reported that the mass sick leave comes as staff call for better working conditions.
Tata Sons had acquired a 100% stake in Air India in 2022 after submitting a winning bid through its wholly-owned subsidiary Talace for Rs 18,000 crore ($2.3bn). The acquisition then merged Air India with Indian airline Vistara, a j0int venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines (SIA). As part of the merger transaction, SIA had also agreed to invest Rs 2,059 crore (approximately $257 million) in Air India. Post-consolidation, SIA would hold 25.1% shareholding in Air India.
Vistara pilots had similarly staged a mass sick leave in early April causing over 150 flight cancellations. The FT reported that pilots had complained of fatigue and poor pay, causing the airline to scale back flights.
Air India cancels flights two days in a row after mass sick leave
