Mumbai: Air India Detects Large-Scale Misuse Of Employee Travel Policy; Over 4,000 Staff Face Penalties

Mumbai: Air India has detected widespread irregularities in the use of its Employee Leisure Travel (ELT) policy, with more than 4,000 employees found to have allegedly misused the benefit, prompting the airline to initiate corrective action, including financial penalties and recovery of wrongly availed benefits, sources said.

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The irregularities came to light following a detailed internal investigation conducted by the airline. According to sources familiar with the development, the probe uncovered large-scale discrepancies in how the ELT facility was utilised by staff members.

The Employee Leisure Travel policy allows Air India employees to avail a specified number of complimentary air tickets each year for themselves and nominated family members such as spouses and parents, subject to certain conditions.

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However, the investigation reportedly found that several employees had falsely declared unrelated individuals as family members to avail free tickets under the policy. In some cases, employees allegedly booked tickets using the facility and then sold them to others at higher prices, thereby making financial gains.

According to PTI, the violations date back to the previous financial year. However, the exact financial impact of the misuse and the precise time period during which the irregularities occurred could not be immediately ascertained.

As part of the corrective measures, Air India has directed employees who wrongly availed benefits to refund the amounts obtained through fraudulent claims. In addition to recovering the money, the airline has also imposed heavy penalties on several staff members found to have violated the policy.

Air India, which has a workforce of more than 24,000 employees, was acquired by the Tata Group in January 2022. The airline is currently undergoing a major transformation programme aimed at reviving its operations after years of financial losses.

Following the discovery of the misuse, the airline has tightened the eligibility requirements for availing ELT benefits. Employees are now required to submit detailed nominee information along with documentary proof establishing their relationship with the nominated individuals.

Under the ELT policy, each employee is entitled to 14 passages or return tickets annually. The policy also permits open-jaw tickets, where the return flight originates from a different destination than the arrival point.

(With PTI Inputs)

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