AIR TURBULENCE EBBS IN A CLOUDY SECTOR

Air India Express to reinstate sacked crew, most to resume

- SRINATH SRIDHARAN

There is some respite for Air India Express with a section of the cabin crew deciding to withdraw the strike and resume duty after the airline promised to look into all issues. It is understood the airline has agreed to reinstate all sacked cabin crew members with immediate effect.

A day after nearly 300 employees proceeded on mass sick leave and switched off their phones, the airline had decided to terminate the services of at least 30 cabin crew members; it had also issued an ultimatum to employees to return to work or face disciplinary action. The thaw will come as a relief to passengers, hundreds of whom were left stranded, especially on Wednesday when the sudden cancellations began.

Though the turbulence seems to be over for now, the Air India Express disruption -85 flights were cancelled on Thursday has turned the spotlight on the persistent HR challenges within the Indian aviation sector reminiscent of the historical labour strikes a few decades ago.

For an average citizen and a frequent flyer, the cryptic explanation that the "management is engaging with the crew to understand the reasons," often translates in pure corporate lingo to "It is a mess, and we hope to make it go away, for now".

The Express hiccup also adds another layer to the recent operational upheaval experienced by the Tata group, with its fullservice carrier Vistara grappling with pilot protests just a month ago, centered on roster and remuneration alterations.