- SUMMARY
- Operations are back at normal at the Low Cost Wing of TATA Group Airlines.
- The suspended employees of the union are re-inducted by the airline.
- Next meeting scheduled on May 28 between airline management and union.
The chaos that started in Air India Express on May 8 because of the cabin crew’s unplanned strike has finally come to an end. On 14 May, the airline witnessed zero flight cancellations. All flights including both domestic and international ones were operational.
Air India Express Operations Back to Normal
For a period of six days, the Low-Cost Wing of TATA Group Airlines was forced to cancel numerous flights because of the unavailability of cabin crew members. Since Air India Express operates major international flights, a large number of foreign travellers were affected. Finally, the chaos has been settled and the airline’s operations are back to normal. As per a report from Press Trust of India (PTI), the airline officials have confirmed that not a single flight cancellation was witnessed on May 14.
On May 14, the airline operated a total of 345 flights. Out of this, 201 flights were operated internationally. All the protesting cabin crew members have returned to work. The next meeting between the cabin crew union and airline management is scheduled for 28 May 2024.
Due to the strike, the airline was forced to cancel around 500 flights within six days. The airline has either issued a full refund or rescheduled the passenger journey to a different date.
Air India Express’s Strike: Series of Events
The disruption started on May 8. All of a sudden, more than 250 cabin crew members of Air India Express reported sick. No airline will take a long time to realize that it is a coordinated strike. Later, it was found that the union behind this strike was the Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU). This is a registered union with more than 300 members.
Prior to these protests, the union members had written to the airline management, the Chairman of TATA Group, and the Minister of Civil Aviation about their concerns.
However, the airline refused to recognize any of the unions formed by its members. In response to the strikes, the airline management issued termination letters to 25 flight attendants for taking part in the strikes.
Subsequently, the Chief Labour Commissioner in Delhi held a conciliation meeting between the union and the airline management. The union decided to take back the strike, while the airline management assured the re-induction of suspended employees. The airline also assured that the issues of cabin crew members will be resolved as per procedures.
Synergy Awakening
AI, AI Express, AIX Connect, and Vistara come under the TATA Group. Whenever any airline gets into trouble, everyone comes forward to help. In the case of AI Express, both Air India and Vistara came forward and operated flights on behalf of Air India Express. Air India operated 20 daily flights on behalf of AI Express, while Vistara operated 2 daily flights.
Now that the airline operations are back to normal, both airlines have retracted their capacity and deployed on their routes. On May 11, the AI Express Employees Union issued a letter to the media informing them that all the employees on strike resumed their duties. Further, it apologized to all the passengers who were affected because of this strike.
Conclusion
After a period of six days, Air India Express had a day without cancellation. After seeing the cancellation of more than 500 flights within 6 days, the airline today operated all its domestic and international flights. Not a single flight was cancelled. All the protesting cabin crew members have resumed their duties. The suspended members have been re-inducted.
What do you think about this operational normalization of Air India Express? Discuss in the comment section.
Featured Image Credits: Air India Express via Social Media
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