New Delhi:

Airports across India are still grappling with issues from yesterday’s massive Microsoft outage. Although the situation has improved significantly since Friday’s chaotic scenes, passengers continue to face challenges, particularly at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI).

At Delhi’s IGI Airport’s Terminal 3, passengers experienced some improvement today, but a few problems persist. Yesterday, the automatic self-drop baggage and check-in machines were non-functional, causing long queues outside Gate No. 5 in Terminal 3. While many passengers can print out their boarding passes today, international travellers still face issues with boarding pass generation, with some being issued manual passes inside the airport.

The Digi Yatra machines at Gates 1-3, which facilitate seamless entry, remain non-operational, necessitating manual entries. Display boards showing wait times, flight schedules, and other crucial information, which were down yesterday, are now functional. However, the overall system has not yet fully recovered, as confirmed by airport officials.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport fared better than its counterparts in Delhi and Bengaluru. Although long queues were reported, operations are running more smoothly today. Nonetheless, two flights, one to Varanasi and one to Kochi, were cancelled this morning, and several international flights were rescheduled. This is an improvement from yesterday when nine domestic flights, all operated by IndiGo, were cancelled. IndiGo has warned of potential cancellations today but expressed optimism that yesterday’s disruption will not be repeated as the Microsoft outage was not reported today.

Global Outage

The outage, attributed to an update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, disrupted Microsoft’s Windows systems worldwide, affecting financial institutions, airlines, hospitals, and media channels. In India, this caused airline check-in systems to crash, leading to delays and the cancellation of dozens of flights. IndiGo alone cancelled around 200 flights, with hundreds more delayed as manual check-in procedures significantly slowed the process.

The Indian financial sector experienced minor disruptions at about ten banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), which have largely been resolved, according to the Reserve Bank of India. However, the outage’s impact on airports from Chennai to Delhi was severe, with passengers facing long queues due to unavailable web check-in services and manual ticketing processes.

Airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express acknowledged the issues via social media. Passengers received handwritten boarding passes, and the manual ticketing and luggage check-in process extended to 30-40 minutes per person, leading to frustration and overcrowded lounges.

Other Airports

Besides Delhi and Mumbai, high-density airports like Bengaluru and Chennai saw the most significant impacts. At Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet, and Air India Express initiated manual check-ins to ensure minimal disruption.  The technical glitch has been fully resolved at Bengaluru airport, and operations have returned to normal. However, there is slight congestion due to the residual impact of yesterday’s operational delays. Due to the backlog, it will take a few hours for the crowds to clear.

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport experienced cancellations of 23 flights, including IndiGo flights to Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru.

Ministerial Assurances

Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu assured that the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are managing the situation using manual methods to minimise disruption. Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the cause of the outage had been identified and that updates had been released to resolve the issue. According to the Aviation Ministry, systems at airports across the country started operating normally from 3 am this morning. 

“By noon today, we expect all issues to be resolved,” the ministry said in a statement. 

CrowdStrike confirmed the problem was due to a defect in a content update for Windows hosts and not a security incident or cyberattack.

Thiruvananthapuram:

After arresting two cabin crew members of Air India Express for allegedly smuggling gold, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has intensified the probe suspecting role of more crew members in the crime.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence or DRI arrested 26-year-old air hostess Surabhi Khatun, a native of Kolkata and a member of the cabin crew on the flight from Muscat, in the early hours of Friday.

She was taken into custody after 960 grams of gold concealed in a compound form was found in her rectum.

The DRI had also picked up her senior colleague – Sohail, who is from Kannur, and is suspected to be the key person in the smuggling of gold.

After getting some fresh leads, the DRI intensified the probe as it suspected the involvement of several other cabin crew members in smuggling gold.

More details awaited.
 

Thiruvananthapuram:

In a heartbreaking incident, a woman, whose husband was in a hospital ICU in Oman, was unable to see him one last time before he died there due to the cancellation of her Air India Express flight to that country last week, her family alleged.

The woman, Amrita, had booked tickets for May 8 to see her husband in Muscat, but on reaching the airport in Thiruvananthapuram, she was told that the flight was cancelled.

Her protest at the airport earned her a ticket for the next day on another Air India Express flight, but unfortunately, that too was cancelled and she had to abandon her travel plans altogether.

On Monday, news of her husband’s death reached her from Oman.

“It was so unfair that she could not see him for one last time. We begged the airline to accommodate us on some other flight so that we could see him for one last time. But they did not do anything,” Amrita’s mother told a TV channel.

She also said that Amrita’s husband had said that he wanted to see his wife and kids and that is why they had booked tickets to go see him.

Amrita, who later spoke to reporters, said that after the second flight was also cancelled, the airline told her nothing could be done.

“They said their flights for the next four days were full and they cannot do anything,” she said.

Her husband was hospitalised following a massive heart attack. “I spoke to him over the phone. Told him I will try to reach there if I can,” she said.

There was no immediate comment from the airline.

Air India Express had cancelled “scores of flights” last week due to a shortage of cabin crew members as a section of them reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline.

Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.

Later, on May 10, the strike by a section of the cabin crew was called off and the airline also withdrew termination letters issued to 25 striking cabin crew.

From May 8 to May 10, Air India Express had to cancel over 260 flights due to cabin crew shortage, an airline source had said.

The airline on May 12 had said that it was slowly restoring its flights and stabilising the network and that full normalcy was expected by Tuesday. The same day, the cabin crew union had said that all members who had reported sick had joined duty by May 11.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Air India Express plane.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Air India Express has issued termination letters to around 25 cabin crew members who reported sick that led to the cancellation of more than 90 flights, airline sources said on May 9.

The Tata Group-owned airline has also given an ultimatum to the remaining cabin crew members reporting sick to join back duty by 4 p.m. on May 9 or face termination, they added.

Air India Express has also cancelled at least 60 flights for May 9 due to the non-availability of cabin crew, the sources said and added that mass leaves by a section of the cabin crew have caused immense inconvenience to passengers.

There are around 1,400 cabin crew, including about 500 at the senior level, at the airline.

Over 200 cabin crew started reporting sick from Tuesday night to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline that caused the cancellation of over 90 flights.

New Delhi:

Air India Express on Thursday cancelled at least 74 flights as a section of cabin crew was fired, a day after nearly 300 employees of the airline called in sick and switched off their phones.

Flights that were cancelled were on domestic and international routes and were scheduled to fly from Chennai to Kolkata, Chennai to Singapore, Trichy to Singapore, and Jaipur to Mumbai. Scores of flights were also delayed on key routes.

The cabin crew shortage at the low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Air India now owned by the Tata group, has resulted in the cancellations of more than 100 flights since Tuesday and about 15,000 passengers have been reportedly affected.

The Air India Express employees have been protesting against the new employment terms, according to sources.

The crew, the sources said, has alleged a lack of equality in the treatment of staff and claimed that some staff members have been offered lower job roles despite clearing interviews for senior positions.

The crew has also flagged some modifications in their compensation package. The developments come as the airline is in the middle of a merger with AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India.

Air India Express To Curtail Flights

As the flight delays and cancellations snowballed into a full-blown crisis, Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh said that the number of flights being operated will be reduced over the next few days.

“The disruptions have cascaded across the network, forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days. We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules,” Mr Singh wrote to employees.

In his letter, he said that over 100 cabin crew members had reported sick, severely disrupting operations, and that the impact was “disproportionate” because the action was taken by senior employees.

“This act is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues in the company who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride. I am thankful to all who are standing by the airline in this hour of crisis,” he added.

An Air India Express spokesperson said on Wednesday that the management is engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind the mass leave and added that they are working to minimise inconvenience to the fliers.

Air India Express Fires 30 Cabin Crew Members

Air India Express has now sacked at least 30 cabin crew after they called in sick at the last minute. The termination letter issued to them said that the mass leave “clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason”.

“Your act is not only subversive of public interest, but has also caused embarrassment, severe reputational damage, and serious monetary loss to the Company. Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, to not operate the flight and to disrupt the services of the Company. This is not only in violation of the applicable laws but also violates the Air India Express Limited Employees’ Service Rules as are applicable to you,” the letter said.

According to sources, the management has given all the Air India Express employees on mass leave a deadline of 4 pm (Thursday) to return to work or face action.

The management is also likely to hold a town hall meeting with cabin crew members on Thursday evening.

New Delhi:

The Air India Express Employees Union, or AIXEU, has written to the Chairman of Air India to express concerns like “growing unrest and dissatisfaction among employees”. In a two-page letter addressed to Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of the Tata Sons-owned Air India Limited (of which Air India Express is a subsidiary) to red-flag growing levels of discontent within employees’ ranks following the takeover of the airline by the private firm.

There is a “stark departure from commitments on job security, salary and maintenance, and respect for seniority and maintenance”, AIXEU said in its letter, referring to the firing of “several employees with impeccable records” that it said was “contrary to assurances” made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that there will be “no termination for two years post acquisition” of the formerly government-run Air India.

Referring to the treatment of whistleblowers, the AIXEU said “employees find themselves silenced when attempting to address grievances, with management actively suppressing any dissenting voices on company platforms”.

“Furthermore, there is a glaring lack of equality in treatment of employees. Salaries, experience, and merits are being disregarded, with internal job postings now being filed by candidates external to Air India Express, thereby bypassing qualified internal candidates.”

Declaring such “mismanagement” had “… impacted employee morale (and) also reflects poorly on our customers and company’s performance”, the union appealed to Mr Chandrasekaran to “personally intervene to redress our grievances… “

READ | 86 Air India Express Flights Cancelled As Crew Goes On “Mass Sick Leave”

The letter follows a mass sick leave by Air India cabin crew earlier today which left at least 86 flights cancelled. international and domestic flights were cancelled after about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones.

The Air India Express management is currently trying to reach out to the crew, who are protesting against the new employment term at the Tata Group-owned airline, sources said.

“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 minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide,” the spokesperson added.

Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, the airline said.

New Delhi:

Air India Express sources today said that the airline does not recognise any workers’ union amidst protests from employees who are opposing a new merit-based assessment system. This system, part of a broader performance appreciation policy, aims to streamline operations and effectively handle cancelled flights. However, it has sparked discontent among employees, particularly the cabin crew. The latest development comes after 86 flights were cancelled today due to a mass sick leave taken by cabin crew members, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

The sudden cancellations and delays, affecting both international and domestic flights, came as about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute, prompting the airline to scramble to address the situation. Passengers caught unaware, expressed their frustration on social media platforms, alleging lack of information regarding flight cancellations.

According to sources within Air India Express, the root cause of the protests lies in the discontent among cabin crew members regarding the new performance appreciation policy and alleged discrepancies in treatment following the merger with Tata Group. The crew alleges that certain staff members were unfairly offered lower job positions despite clearing interviews, leading to feelings of inequality and resentment within the workforce.

“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 minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise 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.”

According to sources, the Civil Aviation Ministry has asked Air India Express for a report on flight cancellations. 

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), representing a significant portion of the cabin crew, has accused the airline of mismanagement and a lack of equality in staff treatment. This disruption comes at a critical time for Air India Express, as the airline is in the process of merging with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) and faces challenges in streamlining operations and catering to the increased demand.

Representational image of an Air India express aircraft
| Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Air India Express has cancelled “scores of flights” due to a shortage of cabin crew members as a section of them are reporting sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline, according to sources.

Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.

ALSO READ | Air India Express cancels several flights to Middle East from Kochi; travellers protest

The sources on Wednesday said several cabin crew members started reporting sick since Monday evening and as there are not enough cabin crew members, “scores of flights” have been cancelled at various airports, including Kochi, Kozhikode and Bengaluru.

Late last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline is being mismanaged and there is a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff.

Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, which claims to represent around 300 cabin crew members, mostly seniors, had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.

Many passengers took to social media on Wednesday complaining about the sudden cancellation of flights.

In response to a passenger’s post on X about flight cancellation, Air India Express apologised and said the flight was cancelled “due to operational reasons”.

“As part of our service recovery process, you can either opt to reschedule the flight within the next 7 days or request a full refund through our chat bot Tia…,” the airline said in a post on X.

The development at Air India Express comes a month after Tata Group full-service carrier Vistara witnessed pilot woes, forcing it to temporarily cut down capacity by 10 per cent or 25-30 flights daily.

As part of consolidating its airline business, Tata Group is merging Air India Express and AIX Connect, as well as Vistara with Air India.

Over 70 Air India Express flights were canceled on Wednesday after the cabin crew members went on a “mass sick leave”, official sources said.

As many as 79 international and domestic flights were canceled after about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones.

The Air India Express management is currently trying to reach out to the crew, who are protesting against the new employment term at the Tata Group-owned airline, sources said.

“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 minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide,” the spokesperson added.

Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, the airline said.

Several passengers took to their social media accounts and complained about the sudden cancellations of their flights. They said that they had “no information” about the cancellations.

Some “very disappointed” passengers on X said that they had reached the airport when they were informed that their flights were canceled.

 “We apologise for any inconvenience. Please be informed that your flight has been canceled due to operational reasons,” Air India Express said in response to one of the posts on X.

Last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline was being mismanaged and there was a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff.

Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.