UAE-India Flight Passengers Stranded Due to Bunking Cabin Crew!
This unprecedented predicament is affecting droves of passengers between the two countries.
In a major embarrassment for Air India Express, the passenger airline has had to cancel several flights between India and the United Arab Emirates. The problem first arose on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 and persists 48 hours later and counting. The high volume of passengers commuting between the two Asian countries has been inconvenienced due to the bizarre fact that a large portion of the airline’s cabin crew has called in sick.
It seems highly unlikely that so many of the airline’s staff members would apply for mass leave at the last moment due to genuine reasons. Rather, it’s possible that these personnel have embarked on a strike of sorts. However, there has been no official confirmation as to the reason behind this expansive no-show. In the process, the airline is facing a first-of-its kind crisis since its launch back in 2004.
Meanwhile, literally hundreds of passengers have had to bear the brunt of this sudden problem. Many of the stranded people, mostly Indian citizens or expats, have been facing expiration of their visas, have to urgently return to work, or have been on emergency leave. These folks are twiddling their thumbs at several Indian airports or those at the UAE cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.
The errant low-cost airline in the meantime, has desperately been trying to save face by offering full refunds or complementary tickets on re-scheduled fights. For availing of these alternatives, the airline has shared a whatspapp number: +916360012345. However, the chaos doesn’t seem to be letting up too soon. Out of Air India Express’ 283 flights announced for Thursday, May 9, as many as 85 are grounded. Now, who’s going to take the disgruntled passengers under their wing? It looks like even an inexpensive flight service comes at a cost.
