Air India Express Crisis: Labor Commissioner Criticizes Tatas, Accuses Air India Express Of Mismanagement

Sources at Air India Express said the airline does not recognize any workers’ union. On Tuesday night, 300 senior cabin crew members of Air India Express reported sick at the last minute, switched off their cellphones, leading to over 90 flights being cancelled and leaving many passengers stranded.

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) wrote to the management, highlighting a stark departure from commitments. The TATA group had taken over the government-run airline in January 2022.

Sources from Air India Express told NDTV that it does not recognize AIXEU or any other workers’ union as legitimate. Mr. Perumulla, stating that the concerns of the Union are genuine, called for corrective measures to be taken.

The current dispute stems from a new merit-based assessment system for employees. The AIXEU has also accused the airline of mismanagement and a lack of equality in staff treatment.

“We sincerely apologize to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasize that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date,” the spokesperson added.

While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimize any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result.