Air India Trims Long-Haul Services by 15%: These Routes are Affected
Air India has said it will restore the full international schedule as soon as it's safe and stable to do so. For now, it's focusing on keeping safety front and center.
Skift's coverage of the Air India crash is offered free to all readers.
Air India on Thursday night announced the list of international routes that it will be temporarily suspending or reducing as part of a 15% cut in its widebody operations.
The changes, effective from June 21 to at least mid-July, impact long-haul flights to North America, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia. The airline will pause some routes entirely, while others will see fewer weekly flights.
Delhi–Nairobi, Amritsar–London Gatwick, Goa (Mopa)–London Gatwick are the three routes that the airline has paused until at least July 15.
A long list of long-haul routes will operate at reduced frequency. These include:
Delhi–Toronto is down from 13 to 7 flights a week.
Delhi–Chicago will now run only 3 times weekly instead of 7.
Delhi–Melbourne and Delhi–Sydney will now operate 5 flights a week.
Delhi-Vancouver is down from 7 flights a week to 5.
Delhi-San Francisco will now run only 7 times a week instead of 10.
Other affected routes include Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) and Amritsar-Birmingham. From Delhi the routes to Washington (Dulles), London (Heathrow), Birmingham, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen, Vienna, Amsterdam, Tokyo (Haneda) and Seoul (Incheon) will also see changes.
Why This Is Happening
Announcing the temporary route curtailment on Wednesday, the airline said the move was necessary after a series of disruptions following the June 12 crash and mounting challenges in global airspace. These include safety checks on its fleet, night-time flying restrictions in parts of Europe and East Asia, and detours due to the Middle East conflict.
There have been 83 flight cancellations in the past six days. The airline said the temporary cuts would help ensure it has enough aircraft on standby for emergencies or schedule changes.
On June 12, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, went down shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad. Out of 242 passengers, only one survived. It was the first fatal crash involving a 787, an aircraft with an otherwise strong safety record.
In the aftermath, Indian civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered enhanced safety inspections across Air India's 787 fleet. As of June 19, 26 of the 33 planes had been cleared. Checks on the rest are ongoing.
On Tuesday night, DGCA said the surveillance of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet has not revealed "any major safety concerns" so far.
The airline is also beginning extra safety checks on its Boeing 777 aircraft — another widebody model used on international routes.
Middle East Airspace Closure
Alongside safety checks, Air India is dealing with restricted airspace in parts of Europe and Asia. Tensions in the Middle East, especially the Israel-Iran conflict, have led to widespread rerouting. Pakistani airspace closure amid continuing diplomatic tensions between India and its neighbor has further complicated things. These disruptions are forcing longer flight paths.
The airline also cited night curfew in the airspaces of many countries in Europe and East Asia, adding to the strain.
Other carriers, including IndiGo, have warned of delays and potential cancellations.
What Passengers Should Know
Following the temporary route curtailment, Air India said it will notify impacted passengers and give them options to reschedule without paying extra. Passengers will also be able to cancel and receive a full refund
Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson, in a message to frequent flyers on Thursday acknowledged the disruptions. In the letter to members of its loyalty program Maharaja Club Wilson also shared details about the crash and why the airline is making these changes.
He confirmed that the aircraft involved in the crash was well maintained and the last major check was completed in June 2023 with the next check scheduled for December 2025. 'Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight,' Campbell said in the letter.
He also reassured customers that the airline is conducting safety inspections on all similar planes.
And more broadly, he addressed why the airline is scaling back, 'As a confidence-building measure, we have elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks… This will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues.'
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