The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Several AIE ‰ights from four airports in State cancelled
Flight cancellations by Air India Express (AIE) continued to aect passengers on Thursday as well, with the airline cancelling ©ights to and from the four international airports in Kerala.
The crisis began to unfold on Tuesday night following a lightning strike by AIE sta.
At Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, nine AIE ©ights, including seven international and two domestic ones, were cancelled on the day. The airline cancelled two ©ights from Kochi and ten ©ights from Calicut and Kannur International Airports until Thursday evening.
Though employees have called o strike, ight disruption likely to continue till May 13
Strike called o
Though the protesting crew members ended their strike after the airline management agreed to look into their grievances, the ©ight disruption is expected to continue till May 13, considering the complex network of the airline, especially from Kerala. The AIE operates around 275 services a week from the State. The airline with 73 aircraft conducts 375 services a day from various cities in the country.
The cancellation of ©ights would have a cascading eect on the network of the airline at least for the next couple of days, said airline sources.
Despite the company pressing 20 aircraft of Air India and two of Vistara to minimise the impact of the ©ight disruption, the airports in Kerala witnessed dramatic scenes on Thursday too, with irate passengers assembling before the airline o¢ces at the airports.
Around 20% of the total services of the airline were cancelled on Thursday alone, while the total number of ©ights cancelled till Thursday night stands at 170 since Tuesday night.
Refund or reschedule
Meanwhile, the airline announced that all passengers can opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or airindiaexpress.com if their ©ight is cancelled, or delayed beyond three hours.
The AIE had cancelled/ delayed over 90 ©ights across the country on Wednesday. The State was hit hardest as the airline is the largest player in the State’s international sector.