Family of expat protests at Air India Express office with his mortal remains

His wife couldn’t travel to Muscat to be with her ailing husband as airline had cancelled the flight following a strike by its staff

Published - May 16, 2024 08:15 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The mortal remains of Malayali engineer Nambi Rajesh who died in Muscat on May 13 were brought home here on Thursday.

A native of Karamana, Mr. Rajesh was hospitalised on May 5 after collapsing at his workplace in Muscat. Though his wife, Amritha C., a nursing student, had booked a ticket to Muscat on an Air India Express flight on May 8 in order to bring him back to Kerala, she could not travel following a flash strike by the Air India Express crew nationwide. 

The airline allegedly failed to provide alternative arrangement for her despite her repeated requests. Though she was given a ticket the next day, that flight too was cancelled due to the strike. In the meantime, the 40-year-old breathed his last in Muscat on May 13 without being able to see his his wife. Be leaves behind his children, Anika, a UKG student, and Nambi Shailesh, an LKG student. 

Body taken to AI office

The family members of the victim protested against the airline when his body was brought to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. They took the body directly to the Air India (AI) SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd. office at Eenchakkal. The relatives placed the body in front of the office as a mark of protest. Following talks with airline officials in the presence of the police, the body was taken home for performing the last rites.

Close to a hundred flights had been cancelled in Kerala alone after the senior crew of the airline started a flash strike in protest against the HR policies of the company on the night of May 7.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.