The functionalities of Air India Express have commenced a gradual ascent on Friday, with a growing number of cabin crew personnel reinstating their roles following notable disruptions to flights induced by a cabin crew strike that has now been terminated.
The cessation of the strike initiated by a faction of the cabin crew since Tuesday evening, resulting in the nullification of over 170 flights, was officially revoked on Thursday evening. The carrier has rescinded termination notices issued to 25 striking cabin crew members.
The airline, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, which typically operates approximately 380 flights daily, has curtailed its operations in response to the strike. An official remarked that normalcy is anticipated within the next forty-eight hours.
Cabin crew members who participated in the strike are returning to their duties, and the airline is facilitating their acquisition of fitness certifications, a prerequisite for resuming work, as per the official’s statement.
Moreover, the official noted that a majority of international flights are scheduled for the evening hours, with operations expected to ameliorate from Friday onward owing to the increased availability of cabin crew.
Typically, the airline operates 120 international flights and 260 domestic services per day, with slight variations in the frequency of flights on certain days. Confronted with a shortage of cabin crew, Air India Express canceled 85 flights on Thursday, constituting approximately 23 percent of its total daily capacity.
Following the termination of the strike on Thursday, the airline expressed its commitment to swiftly reinstating the flight schedule and extended apologies to affected passengers for the disruptions.
Numerous cabin crew members reported sick as a form of protest against purported mismanagement within the airline and disparities in the treatment of staff. Air India Express, in the process of finalizing the merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself, employs approximately 6,000 individuals, including over 2,000 cabin crew members.