THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, May 8: Air India Express experienced significant flight disruptions on Wednesday as over 80 international and domestic flights were either cancelled or delayed. This was attributed to senior crew members reporting sick.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is closely monitoring the situation, as the recent events have raised concerns within the department.
The airline was forced to reduce its scheduled operations due to the cancellations and delays, which started on Tuesday night and continued until Wednesday morning, according to sources within the ministry.
Crew members turned off mobile phones citing health issues
Both domestic and international flights were affected by the abrupt personnel shortage that resulted in flight grounding.
Sources reported that prior to flight operations, certain senior crew members turned off their mobile phones, claiming health concerns.
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The flights had to be cancelled because there was no substitute staff available. In response to the incident, Air India Express released a statement expressing regret to the impacted travellers.
Air India Express issues statement
An Air India Express spokesperson stated that a portion of their cabin crew reported sick unexpectedly, beginning last night, leading to flight delays and cancellations. They are currently communicating with the crew to ascertain the reasons for these incidents. Meanwhile, their teams are proactively working to mitigate any inconvenience to passengers.
“A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimize any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” the spokesperson stated.
“We sincerely apologize to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasize that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport,” he added.