In recent weeks, Air India has undergone a workforce restructuring, resulting in the layoff of over 180 non-flying staff members, according to sources familiar with the situation. Despite the implementation of voluntary retirement schemes and reskilling opportunities, some affected individuals were unable to avail themselves of these options, the airline disclosed.
In a statement issued on Friday, an Air India spokesperson addressed the situation, stating that the fitment process involved assigning roles to employees in non-flying roles based on organizational requirements and individual merit. The spokesperson emphasized that a thorough assessment process had been conducted over the past 18 months to evaluate the suitability of all employees. During this period, multiple Voluntary Retirement Schemes and opportunities for reskilling were provided to the workforce.
However, for less than 1 percent of the employee base who were unable to take advantage of the VRS or reskilling opportunities, the airline had to make the difficult decision to part ways. The statement reiterated the commitment to honoring all contractual obligations throughout this process.
Although the exact number of layoffs was not disclosed by the airline, it is known that Air India underwent a change in ownership when the Tata Group took over in January 2022. Since then, efforts have been made to streamline the business model, including the implementation of two rounds of VRS.
The spokesperson further noted that as part of the multi-year transformational initiative Vihaan.AI, a key focus is on establishing an agile and efficient organizational structure aligned with the business model to facilitate expansion and realize ambitious goals.
