Air India to suspend services to Washington from September
(Reuters) -Air India said on Monday it would stop services between the capital cities of India and the U.S. from September 1, citing aircraft shortage due to the planned upgrades to its ageing Boeing planes and the closure of Pakistan's airspace.
The suspension of services between New Delhi and Washington, D.C., marks the latest setback for Air India, which is facing heightened regulatory scrutiny after a June crash in Ahmedabad killed 260 people.
The planned shortfall in Air India's fleet and continued closure of airspace over Pakistan have impacted the airline's long-haul operations, leading to longer flight routings and increased operational complexity, the carrier said.
Air India sees the Pakistan airspace ban costing it $600 million over 12 months, Reuters had earlier reported.
India and Pakistan closed their respective airspaces to each other days after relations between the arch-rivals nosedived following a fatal attack on civilians in Indian Kashmir, which also sparked the worst fighting between the neighbours in decades.
New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for the attack, accusations which Islamabad has denied.
Air India said its flyers will have options to choose flights to Washington, D.C., with layovers at New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco with the airline's interline partners Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Magazine
29 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Russia Makes Battlefield Advance Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
Russian troops have advanced deeper into eastern Ukraine in a surprise attack ahead of upcoming ceasefire negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian forces moved at least six miles deeper north into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine by Tuesday, according to Reuters. The move by Russia appeared designed to give it leverage over Kyiv in any potential land swap agreements in the upcoming peace talks in Alaska this week. 'We see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war. On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. The Russian military appeared to be moving near Dobropillia, a coal mining town, and is launching efforts to approach Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk. Ukraine's military said on Tuesday that it had sent in reserves to block advances by small groups of Russian troops and was engaged in 'difficult' combat. Speaking last week ahead of his talks with Putin, Trump said that an eventual peace deal would likely include 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.' Putin has long called for Ukraine to give up territory captured by the Russian military in eastern Ukraine, including Crimea. Zelensky has fiercely rejected the idea of handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia, which is reportedly seeking to take over the eastern Donbas region and Crimea, the latter of which was illegally annexed by Russia more than a decade ago. 'Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,' Zelensky said in response to Trump's suggestion of land swaps. European leaders have stood firmly by the Ukrainian president, criticizing the Trump Administration for facilitating negotiations without the presence of Ukraine and for considering granting Putin's demand for more land. 'We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,' a statement released on Saturday and signed by the leaders of France, Italy, the U.K., Germany, Poland, and Finland read. The White House is reportedly considering inviting Zelensky to the summit, though plans have not been finalized. The White House did not respond to TIME's request for comment about the matter on Monday. Trump vowed to help negotiate a peace deal between the Kremlin and Kyiv within the first 24 hours of his second presidential term, though he has faltered as Russian troops continue to launch strikes against Ukraine. Putin and Trump's Friday meeting in Alaska marks the first time the sitting presidents of Russia and the U.S. have met since 2021, and the first time these two in particular have met since 2019.
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Boeing's July aircraft deliveries tumble 20% from June, trailing Airbus
U.S. planemaker Boeing said on Tuesday that it delivered 48 airplanes in July, down from 60 in June but five more than a year earlier. It was the most deliveries by the company in July since 2017, when it delivered 58 aircraft. Boeing continued to fall further behind European rival Airbus in deliveries this year. Airbus handed over 67 jets in July despite having a growing number of aircraft unable to be delivered because it lacks enough engines. That was down from 77 in July 2024, but it lifted Airbus' year-to-date tally to 373, compared to Boeing's 328. Airbus is also leading the U.S. planemaker in single-aisle jet deliveries, with 286 A320neo family jets compared to Boeing's 243 737 MAX jets. About 66% of all commercial jets are single-aisle planes. Boeing delivered 37 of its best-selling 737 MAX jets in July, 20 of which were for aircraft lessors and 17 for airlines. Boeing also handed over eight 787s, two 777 freighters and one 767 freighter. Airbus delivered five regional A220 jets, 54 of its cash-cow A320neo family, two A330s and six A350s. Aircraft deliveries are closely tracked by Wall Street because planemakers collect much of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. Boeing booked 31 gross orders in July, which included 30 for 737 MAX jets and one for a 787. The Republic of Iraq canceled one 787 order, though it still has seven 787s on order. By the end of July, the aerospace giant had received 699 new orders this year, or 655 net orders after adjusting for cancellations and conversions. Its order backlog was 5,968 after adjusting for U.S. accounting standards. Airbus has struggled with delayed deliveries from its largest engine supplier, CFM International, co-owned by GE Aerospace and Safran, but delays have spread to its RTX-owned rival Pratt & Whitney in the wake of a recent strike, the European planemaker said. Airbus still projects that it will deliver 820 jets by the end of the year, a 7% rise from last year. Boeing has not given guidance for annual deliveries. The U.S. company is working to stabilize production after a mid-air panel blowout on a new 737 MAX in January 2024 exposed widespread production quality and safety problems.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
India's Paytm Payments Services gets central bank nod to operate as online payment aggregator
BENGALURU (Reuters) -Indian fintech firm Paytm on Tuesday said its unit Paytm Payments Services has got 'in-principle' approval from the country's central bank to operate as an online payment aggregator. Sign in to access your portfolio
