Air India Express row: 'Company leadership available for discussions', CEO says in letter to employees

New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) Following the mass sick leave taken by the cabin crew of low-cost airline Air India Express resulting in disruption of flight operations, the airline's CEO Aloke Singh, said in a letter to the employees that the act is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve the clients with dedication and pride.

The protesting cabin crew members claimed that despite promises of job security, salary preservation, and recognition of seniority and expertise, there has been a noticeable deviation from these assurances.

“Since last evening, over 100 of our cabin crew colleagues have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations. Because this action was mostly by colleagues assigned the L1 role, the impact was disproportionate, disrupting 90+ flights even though other colleagues reported for duty,” read the letter accessed by IANS.

Singh said the disruptions have cascaded across the network, "forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days".

“We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules. This act is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues in the company who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride. I am thankful to all who are standing by the airline in this hour of crisis,” the letter read.

It added that colleagues from 'operations, network, commercial, airport services, and IOCC' have been working hard to mitigate the impact of the disruptions.

"A curtailed schedule is being rolled out for the next few days. Colleagues from across the company and the group have pitched in to support operations - we owe all our deep gratitude.

“If there are concerns that need to be addressed, the company leadership is available for any discussions. All channels remain open -- department townhalls (one pre-scheduled for Thursday), monthly all-hands townhall, besides formal and informal reach out to leaders.

"In particular, senior cabin crew colleagues who have seen the airline evolve from a small, niche operator to what we are today - a rapidly growing, 350+ flights-a-day carrier, with a strong network footprint across India, Gulf and SE Asia - have a deeper stake in helping build and achieve the vision we have set for ourselves,” Singh said in the letter.

After over 90 international and domestic flights of the airline were cancelled, the Ministry of Civil Aviation sought a detailed report from Air India Express regarding the disruptions of flight operations, urging the airline to address the issue promptly.

Additionally, the airline has been instructed to ensure that passenger facilities adhere to the norms set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), representing a segment of cabin crew members, had earlier written to Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, highlighting employee grievances and expressing concerns about the ongoing situation within Air India Express, especially after its acquisition by the Tata group.

The union accused the airline of mismanagement and unequal treatment of staff, claiming that these issues have adversely impacted the employee morale.