India
-Gaurav Sharma
Air India has announced a broad scale tweak to its international flight schedule between June and August, cutting some services and suspending others. The airline cited airspace restrictions on several routes and higher aviation turbine fuel costs as the main reasons for the move.
According to Air India, these changes are meant to keep the global network stable and limit disruption for passengers. Longer flying times caused by airspace closures have pushed up costs, while fuel prices have already been weighing on international operations.
Air India is adjusting its international flight schedule between June and August, suspending or reducing frequencies on numerous routes across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia due to airspace restrictions and higher fuel costs.
Air India international flights: passenger support and schedule reliability
The carrier said affected travellers will be contacted before their journey dates. Air India will offer options such as alternate flights, travel rescheduling or refunds when suitable. The airline described the cutbacks as temporary adjustments intended to protect schedule reliability and avoid last-minute cancellations across its international routes.
Air India also explained that airspace curbs in some regions have forced longer routings, which add to flight duration and fuel burn. The airline stated that these factors, combined with high jet fuel prices, made it necessary to trim frequencies on several sectors and pause a few services during the three-month period.
Air India international flights: North America route changes
On North American routes, the Delhi-Chicago service will be temporarily suspended. Flights between Delhi and San Francisco will fall from 10 to 7 per week till August. Delhi-Toronto will drop from 10 to 5 weekly flights till July, then move to daily service from August, while Delhi-Vancouver will decrease from 7 to 5 weekly operations.
Air India is also reshaping its New York and Newark network. Mumbai-Newark will expand from 3 to 7 flights each week. Delhi-New York (JFK) will continue at 7 flights per week. However, services on Delhi-Newark and Mumbai-New York (JFK) will be temporarily suspended during this period, shifting capacity within the North American network.
Air India international flights: Europe, Australia and Asia adjustments
Multiple European routes from Delhi will see reduced frequencies. Delhi-Paris will go from 14 flights weekly to 7. Delhi-Copenhagen will be cut from 4 to 3 weekly services. Delhi-Milan will move from 5 to 4 flights weekly, while Delhi-Vienna, Delhi-Zurich and Delhi-Rome will each reduce from 4 to 3 flights weekly.
Australia services from Delhi will also be trimmed between June and August. Delhi-Melbourne will reduce from 7 to 4 flights per week. Delhi-Sydney will also fall from 7 to 4 weekly services. Air India has applied further changes across Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC routes, reflecting the same cost and routing pressures.
Air India international flights: Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC changes
In East Asia, the Delhi-Shanghai route will be temporarily suspended through August. Delhi-Singapore will reduce from 24 to 14 weekly flights, while Mumbai-Singapore will drop from 14 to 7 services per week. Chennai-Singapore will be temporarily suspended through August. Delhi-Bangkok will reduce from 28 to 21 weekly flights from July, and Mumbai-Bangkok will fall from 13 to 7 weekly from July.
Several Southeast Asian and SAARC links from Delhi will see cuts. Delhi-Kuala Lumpur will reduce from 10 to 5 weekly services. Delhi-Ho Chi Minh City will fall from 7 to 4 weekly flights in July and August, while Delhi-Hanoi will reduce from 5 to 4 weekly in the same months. Delhi-Kathmandu will decrease from 42 to 28 weekly flights in June, then to 21 weekly in July and August.
Services to Dhaka, Colombo and Malé will also be affected. Delhi-Dhaka will reduce from 7 to 4 flights weekly, while Mumbai-Dhaka will be temporarily suspended through August. Mumbai-Colombo will fall from 7 to 4 weekly services, and Delhi-Colombo will reduce from 14 to 12 weekly. Delhi-Malé will be temporarily suspended through August, as Air India seeks to keep operations sustainable under current conditions.
