Air India Express Crisis: Tatas Criticized by Labour Commissioner for Mismanagement

Sources at Air India Express have stated that 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 and 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 to express their concerns about a stark departure from commitments. The TATA group, which took over the government-run airline in January 2022, is involved in this situation.

According to sources from Air India Express, the airline 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 and highlighted that the management has not sent any responsible decision-makers to any of the conciliation proceedings. The current dispute stems from a new merit-based assessment system for employees, and the AIXEU has accused the airline of mismanagement and a lack of equality in staff treatment. In response to the situation, a spokesperson for Air India Express stated that they are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind the occurrences, and their teams are actively addressing the issue to minimize inconvenience caused to their guests.

The spokesperson also offered a sincere apology to their guests for the unexpected disruption and emphasized that the situation does not reflect the standard of service they strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date.