Air India Express Hit by Staff Crunch, Cancels Dozens of Flights

Mass Disruption Hits Air India Express Flights Amid Cabin Crew Protest

Air India Express has cancelled over 80 flights and delayed scores of others after a section of cabin crew reported sick in what is being seen as a protest against certain policies of the airline’s management.

The protest-style sick leave has caused widespread disruption across the airline’s domestic and international network.

An airline spokesperson stated that dialogue is underway with the affected crew members to understand their grievances. The airline also issued an apology to affected passengers for the inconvenience caused.

Since last night, flight operations from Kerala’s four international airports—Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur—have been severely impacted.

Cancellations include services to Sharjah, Bahrain, Dammam, Muscat, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Kuwait.

At Cochin International Airport, four international and one domestic flight to Bengaluru were cancelled. Similar disruptions were reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur, with several outbound and inbound flights scrapped or delayed.

Passengers, many of whom were unaware of the sudden cancellations until they reached the airports, now face uncertainty and potential job losses due to missed reporting deadlines abroad.

The airline said it is working to rebook affected passengers on alternate flights, though uncertainty remains about the timeline for restoring normal operations.