Air India announced on June 19, 2025, that it will reduce its international flight schedule by 38 weekly flights and temporarily suspend services on three overseas routes from June 21 to July 15, 2025. The move aims to stabilize flight schedules and minimize last-minute disruptions for passengers, following operational challenges triggered by a fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
The airline, owned by the Tata Group, will pause operations on the Delhi-Nairobi route, which operates four times weekly, as well as the Amritsar-London (Gatwick) and Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) routes, each running three times a week. This decision follows an earlier announcement on June 18, 2025, where Air India disclosed a 15% reduction in flights operated by its wide-body aircraft, such as Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 planes.
The flight reductions will impact 18 international routes, including five in North America, nine in Europe, and two each in Australia and East Asia. Specific cuts include Delhi-Toronto, dropping from 13 to seven weekly flights, Delhi-Vancouver from seven to five, Delhi-San Francisco from ten to seven, Delhi-Chicago from seven to three, and Delhi-Washington from five to three. In Europe, Delhi-London (Heathrow) will see a reduction from 24 to 22 weekly flights, with decreased frequencies also affecting routes to Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Vienna, and Birmingham. Additionally, Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda) will decrease from seven to six weekly flights, while Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) will operate three times weekly until July 5, increasing to four thereafter until July 15.
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Air India attributed the schedule adjustments to enhanced pre-flight safety inspections, prompted by the recent crash, alongside external factors such as airspace closures in the Middle East and nighttime curfews at certain international airports. The airline expressed regret for the inconvenience and stated that it is actively contacting affected passengers to address their travel needs.