Air India Express Faces Labor Ministry Scrutiny Over Alleged Management-Crew Disputes

According to reports, Air India Express, which is currently owned by the Tata Group, has received a show-cause notice from the Union labour ministry for alleged regulatory violations relating to conflicts between the airline’s management and cabin crew.

Concerns regarding room sharing during layovers have been voiced by a number of cabin crew members. According to the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947, a complaint was made in this regard to the labour department, and the case is currently undergoing conciliation.

In a joint letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Indian Pilots‘ Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) unions further claimed that Air India’s implementation of a side policy and the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) scheme appear to “undermine the authority and purpose” of the DGCA approval.

The pilot unions have also asked the DGCA to examine and evaluate the problem and to take the necessary action to resolve it.

A representative for Air India Express addressed these worries by saying that as part of the continuous integration, the airline’s and AIX Connect’s policies and procedures are being synchronised.

This includes the custom of crew members sharing rooms during layovers, which is in line with what many other airlines in the Indian and regional markets do. During layovers, crew members may share a room. The spokesperson had stated, “This is consistent with the market practise followed by many other airlines in India and the region.”

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