AI Express slowly restoring flights; cabin crew union says all members have joined duty

Mumbai/New Delhi: Air India Express is slowly restoring its flights and stabilising the network, an official said on Sunday while the cabin crew union emphasised that all members who had reported sick have joined duty.

The Tata Group-owned airline, which operates around 380 services daily, has cancelled at least more than 20 flights on Sunday, the official in the know said and added that full normalcy is expected by Tuesday morning.

There was no official comment from Air India Express.

The strike by a section of cabin crew to protest against the alleged mismanagement at the airline had forced cancellation of hundreds of flights since Tuesday night.

On Thursday, the strike was called off and the carrier also withdrew termination letters issued to 25 cabin crew following a conciliation meeting convened by the chief labour commissioner in the national capital.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the airline and the Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU).

In a release on Sunday, the union said all the cabin crew who had reported sick have joined back and 'as such there is no delay on the part of the cabin crew'.

"All the cabin crew members who reported sick have joined their duty by May 11, 2024,' it said.

However, due to a glitch in the company's scheduling software as it was recently introduced, it is still showing that staff are reported sick.

The official said flights are being slowly restored and stabilisation of the network is expected by Tuesday morning.