Air India Express has announced the last-minute cancellation of over 70 international and domestic flights due to a mass 'sick leave' taken by its crew members, reports ANI. Flights scheduled from late Tuesday night to Wednesday have been affected, causing inconvenience to numerous passengers due to staff shortages.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken note of the situation after it was raised by commuters on social media platforms and is currently investigating the matter.

In response to the incident, an Air India Express spokesperson stated that several crew members applied for sick leave simultaneously at the last minute, leading to chaos and disruption in flight schedules. This resulted in the cancellation or delay of multiple flights, causing inconvenience to passengers.

The airline has issued an apology for the unexpected disruption and assured passengers that they are actively addressing the issue to minimize inconvenience. They emphasized that this situation does not reflect their usual standard of service and offered affected passengers a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date.

Meanwhile, passengers traveling with Air India Express are advised to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.