NEW DELHI: More than 20,000 passengers were left stranded after 86 services of Air India Express got suspended on Wednesday after employees took mass leave in protest against the management. The unexpected strike that started on Tuesday night is still ongoing. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought a report in this regard.

This also resulted in the total collapse of the charted programs as scheduled journeys of many people, including those from Kerala to the Gulf, got disrupted. A large majority of passengers were travelling for emergency visa renewals and other urgent needs. A total of 27 services were suspended at four airports in the state. Passengers got to know about the quandary only after they reached the airport, which left many fuming.

1400 passengers were trapped in Karipur airport after 14 flights were suspended. 900 people received the same fate after five flights got suspended in Kochi. In Thiruvananthapuram, 1000 people were trapped after five flights got suspended.

The situation soon shifted to the brink of chaos in several airports after airline staff denied responding to the queries coming their way from passengers. Air India has announced that it will refund the full amount of the ticket to those who do not want to travel. The strike also affected flight services from the Gulf countries.

300 cabin crew members took sick leave en masse. They switched off their mobile phones and could not be contacted. This prompted the suspension of many flights. Recently, 150 services were suspended due to a similar strike at Vistara which also comes under the Tata group.

• Air India has lost crores due to the cancellation of 86 flights. It will take days to get an accurate estimate.
• In case of flight cancellation, passengers should be provided with food and accommodation as per DGCA rules.
• For those who do not want to travel instead, the ticket price should be refunded. A huge amount of hangar rent will also be charged to accommodate the planes at the airports
• In 2012, the 49-day strike by Air India pilots caused a loss of Rs 500 crore to the company.

Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was also affected by the suspension of the Delhi-Srinagar flight, demanded the closure of Air India.

Air India responded saying the issue will take several days to solve. Till then, the air carrier will have to cut short many services.