AIE CRISIS IMPACTS PASSENGERS AT KERALA AIRPORT

Chaos and protests ensued at the four international airports in Kerala through Tuesday night and Wednesday morning due to last-minute cancellations of Air India Express flights as a result of shortage of cabin crew members who went on ‘mass sick leave’.

Scores of passengers, mostly headed to the Gulf for personal and professional reasons, voiced their anger at the airline for not informing them in advance or making alternate travel arrangements.

At least 78 domestic and international flights from all over India were cancelled by the airline, Kerala, however, was among the hardest hit with at least 19 flights from the state barred from taking off.

According to an airline staff, eight services in Kozhikode, four in Thiruvananthapuram, three in Kannur and four in Kochi were cancelled. The cancelled flights included those to popular Gulf destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Dammam and Bahrain.

A passenger who was slated to fly to Kuwait early Wednesday, said, “I have to reach Kuwait before midnight today. My work visa will expire tonight and if I don’t reach there on time, it will automatically get cut off. The airline is not giving any solutions.”

A woman, who was scheduled to fly to Muscat in Oman, said: “My husband in Muscat underwent angioplasty and is admitted in the hospital. I asked the airline officials to somehow book me an alternate flight but they haven’t responded positively.”

The airline said in a statement: “While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing the issue to minimise any inconvenience caused.”