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29 March 2024

Air India Express to cancel 203 flights

The decision has been taken due to the shortage of cabin crew and the forthcoming lean period. (FILE)

Published
By Joseph George

Passengers have once again been left in the lurch following an announcement by India's budget airline Air India Express that it plans to cancel almost 203 flights to various destinations, including the Middle East.
The destinations of the cancelled flights include Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat and Kuwait.

A senior airline official told Emirates 24|7 that the decision has been taken due to the shortage of cabin crew and the forthcoming lean period. "No passengers will be affected because of the cancellation," said Abhay Pathak, the regional head of Air India in the Gulf.  

According to reports quoting airline officials in India, the cancellations would begin from next week and would be there until the end of October.

“Around 203 (73 from Kozhikode, 74 from Thiruvananthapuram and 56 from Kochi) flights stand cancelled. Some of these flights which originate from here, touch Kochi and then fly to the Middle-East. Hence this is taken as two flights and hence the number looks so large,” said an IANS report, quoting an airline spokesperson.

The main reason behind the cancellation is the shortage of cabin crew. "There is a rule that cabin crew should not exceed more than 1,000 hours of flying in a year. There is no way we will be able to meet this target unless we cancel some of the services," said Pathak.

However, according to him, the numbers are being exaggerated. "It only means that the airline has cancelled two or three flights from various destinations. For example, from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram we have reduced the number of flights from four to two. The lean season following Ramadan holidays is about to start and none of the passengers will be affected," he added.
 
According to him, measures are being taken to meet the shortage of cabin crew. "New recruitments are on and the personnel are being trained," he added.