Air India fired over 1,000 employees in 3 yrs for ethical breaches: CEO
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Mumbai: Air India has terminated more than 1,000 employees over the past three years for ethical misconduct, including misuse of the airline’s employee leisure travel system, according to the carrier’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson.
Speaking during a town hall meeting with employees on Friday, Wilson stressed the importance of ethical conduct and compliance, saying staff must “act in the right way even when others are not looking”, sources said.
The Tata Group-owned airline currently employs around 24,000 people.
Wilson said the airline had dismissed employees for various ethical breaches, including smuggling items off aircraft and allowing excess baggage without charging passengers.
He also referred to the misuse of the Employee Leisure Travel (ELT) system by hundreds of staff members, stating that such practices were unacceptable.
In March, sources told PTI that Air India had uncovered large-scale discrepancies in the use of its leisure travel policy involving more than 4,000 employees. The airline subsequently initiated corrective measures, including penalties against those found responsible.
The remarks come as Air India implements a series of cost-cutting measures amid mounting financial pressure. The airline has held back annual salary increments for employees and asked staff to reduce discretionary spending and avoid non-critical expenditure, while warning of “tough times” ahead.
During the meeting, Wilson also cautioned employees that the current financial year could become “very, very difficult” if the situation in the Middle East does not improve.
The Air India Express and Air India group is projected to have incurred losses exceeding Rs 22,000 crore in the financial year ending March 2026.
With PTI inputs