London
CNN
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Dozens of cabin crew at Air India Categorical referred to as in sick earlier this week, forcing the funds service to cancel 85 flights since Tuesday night and disrupting the journey plans of hundreds of passengers.
The Indian service is “making each attainable effort to attenuate the inconvenience brought about to our friends by this sudden state of affairs,” an organization spokesperson mentioned in a press release Thursday.
“Whereas we are going to proceed to interact with our cabin crew colleagues with a dedication to handle any concern, we’re taking applicable steps towards sure people as their actions have brought about grave inconvenience to hundreds of our friends,” the spokesperson famous.
Air India Categorical operates greater than 2,500 flights every week, servicing 45 home and worldwide airports, in line with its web site.
Round 100 cabin crew referred to as in sick “on the final minute” late on Tuesday, a supply accustomed to the incident advised CNN.
Some cabin crew had just lately expressed unhappiness with the introduction of a merit-based efficiency system — one of many adjustments made for the reason that airline’s privatization just a little over two years in the past, the supply mentioned, requesting anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly in regards to the matter.
“There’s clearly just a few adjustments throughout the group,” the supply added. “However the airline has continually engaged (its workers), which is why this (calling in sick) got here as a really large shock.”
Air India Categorical is a subsidiary of Air India, which was offered by the Indian authorities to Tata Group in January 2022. Since then, the Indian conglomerate has introduced plans to merge Air India Categorical with AIX Join, one other of Air India’s subsidiary carriers.
Air India Categorical mentioned in Thursday’s assertion that passengers whose flight is canceled, or delayed by greater than three hours, can get a full refund or reschedule their flight totally free.
Air India will assist the funds service via the present disruption by working flights on 20 of its routes, it added.