Air India Express expects operations to normalise within next two days

Tata-owned Air India Express operations began to improve on Friday as more cabin crew members returned to duty following the disruption caused by a recent strike, which has now been called off.

A section of the cabin crew went on strike on Tuesday night, leading to the cancellation of over 170 flights.

However, the strike was called off on Thursday evening, and the airline reinstated the 30 cabin crew members who earlier went on mass sick leave without notice.

Air India Express, which normally operates approximately 380 flights daily, had to scale back operations due to the strike.

An official told news agency PTI on Friday that normal operations are anticipated to resume within the next two days.

The cabin crew members who participated in the strike are now rejoining the workforce, and the airline is assisting them in obtaining the necessary fitness certificates required to resume their duties, the official told PTI.

The official also said that most international flights are scheduled in the evening, and with more cabin crew available, operations in this segment are expected to improve starting from Friday.

The airline operates 120 international flights and 260 domestic services daily, though the number of flights may vary on certain days.

In response to the cabin crew shortage, Air India Express had to cancel 85 flights on Thursday, which represents around 23% of its total daily capacity.

Following the resolution of the strike on Thursday, the airline announced to restore its flight schedule and apologised to affected passengers for the disruptions caused.

Air India Express, which is currently in the process of merging with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), employs around 6,000 individuals, including over 2,000 cabin crew members.