Curtailed Schedule And Townhalls: Air India Express CEO On What's Next Amid Staff Woes
Air India Express has kept its channels of communication open for employees to raise their concerns and a departmental townhall is planned for Thursday, the CEO said.
Following disruptions to Air India Express flights after staff issues, the budget airline plans to curtail schedules over the next few days and conduct townhalls for employees to raise their concerns, after a Union flagged worries about mismanagement since the airline's acquisition by the Tata Group.
"Colleagues from operations, network, commercial, airport services, IOCC, have been working hard to mitigate the impact of the disruptions. A curtailed schedule is being rolled out for the next few days," Chief Executive Officer Aloke Singh said, in a note to airline staff, reviewed by NDTV Profit.
The company has kept its channels of communication open for employees to raise their concerns and a departmental townhall is planned for Thursday, the CEO said.
Singh said disruptions caused by over a 100 cabin crew staff calling in sick prior to their duty is "certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues".
Over 80 domestic and international flights were grounded since Tuesday, due to pilots and cabin crew calling in sick at the last minute. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has initiated an investigation into the matter.
The Air India Express Employees Union conveyed their worries about mismanagement at Air India Express in a letter addressed to Tata Sons Pvt. Chairman N Chandrasekaran on April 26. The letter, which was reviewed by NDTV Profit, highlighted their concerns.
The Union had voiced escalating concerns within the company, covering issues such as remuneration, hiring practices, and the termination of numerous employees, particularly following the airline's acquisition by the Tata Group.
The Labour Commissioner of Delhi took Air India's management to task on Wednesday for their failure to address the concerns of employees, according to a report by NDTV. The commissioner had written to the airline and, in no uncertain terms, told them the grievances were genuine and that the HR department had made an attempt to mislead the conciliation officer, the news report said.
A spokesperson stated that guests affected by cancellations would be given a full refund or offered complimentary rescheduling for another date. "We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unforeseen disruption."
