Air India to end flights between Delhi and Washington
The airline, owned by India's Tata Group, cited a looming shortage of planes and Pakistan's decision to close airspace as the main reasons for the cancellation of flights to and from the US capital.
"The airline commenced retrofitting 26 of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft last month," read a press release from India's flagship airline. "This extensive retrofit programme, aimed at significantly enhancing customer experience, necessitates a prolonged unavailability of multiple aircraft at any given time until at least end of 2026."
Pakistan's closure of airspace affected logistics planning, "leading to longer flight routings and increased operational complexity", Air India said.
Since April, Indian airlines have faced longer international flights and higher fuel costs as they have been forced to reroute their aircraft since Pakistan closed its airspace to its neighbouring country amid tension over a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, the control of which each nation claims.
Air India said passengers who have already booked on to flights now cancelled will be contacted and offered alternative arrangements.
When contacted by The National, customer service representatives for the airline said they had not been notified of the development and were therefore unable to make alternative arrangements for passengers, though they warned they would probably soon be updated by their management.
According to Air India's website, the company employs more than 30,000 people and operates at least 300 aircraft, with 55 domestic and 48 international destinations.
In June, Air India Flight AI 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, in Gujarat, north-west India, killing 241 people on board plus a number of people on the ground. Only one person, a passenger, survived.
Though still under investigation, a 15-page preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau suggested the plane's fuel control switches were turned off, cutting fuel to the engines and causing a loss of thrust shortly after take-off.
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