The Airline Pilots' Association of India (Alpa India) on Monday flagged the alleged misuse of power by the rostering authority at Air India Express, warning of IndiGo-like disruptions and safety lapses if such poor workplace culture continued unchecked.

In a letter to the board of directors of Air India Express, a subsidiary of Tata-owned Air India, the airline association levelled allegations of "improper rostering, unfair treatment, retaliatory and ego-driven mindset and punitive actions against employees who protest" or raise concerns.

The association has sought the board’s direct intervention in the matter.

The letter underlined how "mismanaged rosters, fatigue and dismissive attitude towards crew concerns" aggravated the operational disruption at IndiGo last month and cautioned against such “scheduling pressures”.

“Air India Express faces similar growth and scheduling pressures. Allowing a culture of fear or punitive control in a critical enabling function risks comparable disruptions or safety-relevant events,” Alpa India said in the letter.

The pilots' association has cited two examples where members of the rostering department were allegedly seen behaving unprofessionally in videos that have surfaced on social media.

In the first instance, a rostering manager is purportedly seen boasting on social media about retaliating against pilots who declined roster changes for personal or family reasons.

In another instance, a rostering staff member was purportedly seen prioritising personal grooming and social media activity over calls on the pilot hotline, a safety-critical channel.

“Disregarding such calls is fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities of the role,” Alpa India pointed out.

“The conduct was unprofessional and reflected an intent to use scheduling power to instil fear rather than resolve operational challenges through reason and empathy. Such messaging signals that compliance is enforced through punitive rosters, not transparent and respectful processes,” the association said.

It said recent incidents, combined with long-standing patterns, “indicate that elements of the department are operating with a retaliatory and ego-driven mindset rather than one aligned with human factors, empathy and the principles of just culture essential to a safety-critical airline".

Highlighting that it was not a “routine grievance”, Alpa India said rostering wielded significant discretionary power that directly impacted pilot fatigue, morale, retention and safety outcomes.

The association urged the AI Express board to issue a clear directive that retaliation, ego-driven scheduling and disregard for pilot welfare were incompatible with the airline’s values and safety objectives.

“Mandate customer relationship management and human factors training for all rostering personnel within a defined time frame. Approve a specific formal code of conduct for rostering department, hotline protocols, and an oversight mechanism,” Alpa India demanded.

“Commission a comparative Air India-Air India Express rostering audit and direct HR to develop a pilot-centric retention plan in consultation with Alpa,” it added.

A rostering function grounded in empathy, just culture and safety-first thinking is a foundational requirement for stable and safe growth, the association stressed.

The Telegraph reached out to Air India Express for comment on the allegations. A response is awaited.