One day after mass sick leave, Air India Express fires 30 employees

New Delhi : Air India Express has sacked nearly 30 cabin crew members, one day after over 300 employees went on mass sick leave and switched off their mobile phones, leading to massive disruptions in operation of flights. It has been learned that the number of firings is likely to increase in the coming days as the management has issued an ultimatum to the employees asking them to join work by 4 pm on Thursday or face action.

A total of 76 flights have been cancelled today amid disruptions in the operations of the low-cost airline, which is a subsidiary of Air India, now owned by Tata group.

For those who are unaware, the employees are protesting against the new employment terms. It has been claimed that some staffers are not happy with the new job roles given. They have claimed that despite clearing all required interviews, they have not been assigned senior positions. Flags have also been raised over the new compensation packages of the crew members. 

Tata group is facing a fresh crisis barely after a month when its full-service carrier Vistara had faced disruptions due to protests by pilots over the roaster issues.

Yesterday, Air India released a statement saying that they are looking into the matter and trying to learn the reason behind mass sick leaves of the employees and added that they are trying to minimise the inconvenience of the flyers.