New Delhi, May 10 : The issuance of termination letters to several staff members is merely a tactic to instil fear and quell ongoing protests, said a cabin crew member of Air India Express on condition of anonymity, adding that around 20 termination letters have been issued to employees, citing a breach of employment terms.

Following a mass sick leave by over 300 cabin crew members, the atmosphere within Air India Express has become tense. The crew members asserted that despite assurances of job security, salary preservation, and recognition of seniority and expertise, there has been a visible departure from these commitments during the transition from AirAsia to Air India Express.

“Experienced personnel are being marginalised, while AirAsia India was favouring crew members with only '4-5 years' of experience, seemingly to prioritise youthfulness. Additionally, certain allowances like HRA, DA, Cosmetic Kit maintenance, and Uniform maintenance were eliminated, replaced instead by performance-based allowances tied to in-flight sales and passenger feedback,” she said.

Sources said that around 20 termination letters were issued to employees on Wednesday, citing a breach of employment terms. One such letter obtained by our sources stated, "Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, to not operate the flight and to disrupt services of the Company."

The termination letters emphasised the disruption caused by the mass sick leave, leading to flight cancellations and inconveniences for passengers. The letter accused the terminated employees of acting against the public interest and causing reputational damage and financial losses to Air India Express.

“This is in reference to your employment with Air India Express Limited ("Company") in the capacity of Cabin Crew Executive. It has been reported that you were rostered for a flight on 07.05.2024. However, you informed the Scheduling team at the last moment that you were unwell and accordingly reported sick. It is noted that at or around the same time, an overwhelming number of other cabin crew members have also reported sick and have not reported for their duties. This clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason,” read the termination letter to one of the cabin crew members.