Air India Express cancels over 80 flights due to cabin crew shortage
Air India Express cancels over 80 flights due to cabin crew shortage
Air India Express has cancelled more than 80 flights and scores of flights have been delayed as a section of cabin crew members have reported sick to protest against certain policies of the airline management. An Air India Express spokesperson said, the airline is engaging with the cabin crew members to understand the reasons for reporting sick and also apologised for the flight disruptions. Several Air India Express flight services from the four international airports in Kerala have been disrupted since last night, as many cabin crew employees of the carrier have collectively taken sick leave. At the Cochin International Airport, four international flights and a domestic flight to Bengaluru were cancelled by the airline.
The affected international services include flights to Sharjah, Bahrain, Dammam, and Muscat. Additionally, Air India Express flights from Muscat, Bahrain, and Dammam scheduled for arrival this evening have also been cancelled. Reports said that in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, Air India Express flights bound for Sharjah, Dubai, Muscat, and Abu Dhabi were cancelled. In Kozhikode, flights to Doha, Jeddah, Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai, and Kuwait were disrupted, while in Kannur, flights to Muscat, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi were cancelled.
Passengers were caught off guard and became aware of the flight disruptions only upon their arrival at the respective airports. This unexpected situation has left many passengers in a quandary, with many facing the risk of losing their jobs if they are unable to report for duty on time. The airline has offered to accommodate stranded passengers on other flights operated by it, despite the prevailing uncertainty regarding the resumption of flight operations. Air India Express cancels over 80 flights due to cabin crew shortage
Aviation in a ‘purple patch’ amid new plane crunch, AirAsia says
Malaysia-based AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes remains bullish on air travel. MUST CREDIT: Richard Humphries/BloombergThe aviation industry is experiencing a “purple patch” with demand for seats far outstripping capacity amid a long wait for new aircraft and a shortage of pilots further discouraging any fresh competition, Tony Fernandes, the founder of low-cost carrier AirAsia, said. Malaysia-based AirAsia for its part is set to witness its “best ever period” with most of the carrier’s 240 planes back in the sky and “airfares at their best,” Fernandes said during an interview near Kuala Lumpur’s international airport on Monday. “I’ve never been this bullish before,” Fernandes, who started AirAsia 23 years ago, said. “Southeast Asia is going through a renaissance period of sensible economics, and that’s a good thing.” On the back of that, AirAsia plans to raise as much as $600 million in coming months, Fernandes said, as he tries to pull off a merger between his two aviation businesses – long-haul carrier AirAsia X Bhd. and short-haul airline AirAsia, which is currently a unit under Fernandes’ more diversified company Capital A Bhd. Following the merger, which is expected to conclude mid-year, the new entity will look to raise up to $400 million via selling equity, Fernandes said. Citigroup Inc. and US advisory bank Evercore Inc. have been appointed to lead the capital raising. A $200 million revenue bond, securitized against revenue from new routes, is also expected to be finalized soon, he said. Fernandes said the merger of the two airlines will create a new firm called AirAsia Group that will subsequently take over AirAsia X’s listing on Bursa Malaysia. The company may also do away with its AirAsia X branding as the aviation businesses consolidate. AirAsia has ambitions to expand its footprint from a predominately Asian airline to a global low-cost carrier with a more extensive network. It plans to start flying to Kazakhstan, its first route in Central Asia, later this year. Fernandes, who has previously spoken about succession at the company he founded, said Monday that he would retain an advisory role at AirAsia Group following the merger. He’ll remain chief executive of Capital A, his other listed company that will ultimately hold all the non-aviation businesses he’s started. Those include Teleport, a logistics company, and Move, an online travel agency that also operates a ride-hailing business. Move is finalizing a $30 million capital raising while Teleport has raised $35 million in debt, he said. The company’s aircraft-maintenance arm, Asia Digital Engineering, has also managed to raise $100 million, Fernandes said. The Financial Times reported in October that Capital A is seeking to raise more than $1 billion in debt and equity and list some of its businesses through a blank-check company in New York. The company said in November that it will seek a Nasdaq listing via a special purpose acquisition company merger with Aetherium Acquisition Corp.“2024 will be a very good year. 2025 will be an amazing year,” Fernandes said. “There’s a lot of growth for us. Aviation in a ‘purple patch’ amid new plane crunch, AirAsia says
