Air India on Thursday released full details of the temporary reductions to long-haul services operated by Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft. The announcement comes a day after Air India announced that it will reduce its international services on wide-body aircraft by 15 per cent for the next few weeks. The Tata Group-owned airline, grappling with disruptions following the fatal plane crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad, said the objective is to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers.
The detailed announcement comes a day after the carrier said it would temporarily reduce flights operated with wide-body planes by 15 per cent.
The decision comes after the tragic loss of 241 lives on board Air India-171 flight, which crashed in Ahmedabad.
"The changes, driven by voluntary enhanced pre‑flight safety checks and expanded flight times due to Middle East airspace closures, will take effect from June 21 and remain in place through at least July 15, 2025," Air India said in a statement. The airline said the measures aim to stabilize schedules and minimize last‑minute disruptions for passengers.
Routes Fully Suspended Until July 15
Delhi–Nairobi (AI 961/962): 4 flights per week
Amritsar–London (Gatwick) (AI 169/170): 3 flights per week
Goa (Mopa)–London (Gatwick) (AI 145/146): 3 flights per week
Routes with Reduced Frequency Until July 15
North America
Delhi–Toronto: from 13 to 7 weekly flights
Delhi–Vancouver: from 7 to 5 weekly flights
Delhi–San Francisco: from 10 to 7 weekly flights
Delhi–Chicago: from 7 to 3 weekly flights
Delhi–Washington (Dulles): from 5 to 3 weekly flights
Europe
Delhi–London (Heathrow): from 24 to 22 weekly flights
Bengaluru–London (Heathrow): from 7 to 6 weekly flights
Amritsar–Birmingham & Delhi–Birmingham: from 3 to 2 weekly flights
Delhi–Paris: from 14 to 12 weekly flights
Delhi–Milan: from 7 to 4 weekly flights
Delhi–Copenhagen: from 5 to 3 weekly flights
Delhi–Vienna: from 4 to 3 weekly flights
Delhi–Amsterdam: from 7 to 5 weekly flights
Australia
Delhi–Melbourne & Delhi–Sydney: from 7 to 5 weekly flights
Far East
Delhi–Tokyo (Haneda): from 7 to 6 weekly flights
Delhi–Seoul (Incheon): from 5 to 4 weekly flights
"Affected passengers will be notified in advance and offered rebooking options or full refunds," Air India said in a press statement.
Air India has given its passengers a choice to either reschedule their travel without any cost or to be given a full refund, while the airline is attempting to accommodate its international passengers on alternate flights.
Earlier in the day, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson in a message to flyers said that as a confidence-building measure, the airline has elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on its Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, its Boeing 777 aircraft for the time being.
Given the time these additional checks will consume and the potential impact on schedules, Air India has decided to reduce its international wide-body flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, through to at least mid-July, Wilson said.
The routes in Europe with reduced flight services include Delhi-London Heathrow, Bengaluru-London Heathrow, Amristsar-Birmingham and Delhi-Birmingham, Delhi-Paris, Delhi-Milan, Delhi-Copenhagen, Delhi-Vienna and Delhi-Amsterdam. Similarly, services on Delhi-Melbourne, Delhi-Sydney, Delhi-Tokyo Haneda and Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) have also been reduced as part of the revised schedule.
On Thursday, Air India again apologised to the passengers affected by these curtailments. "Regrettably, the time required to perform these enhanced safety checks, along with the application of extra caution, external factors like airspace closures in Iran and the Middle East as well as night-time restrictions at some international airports, along with normal airline technical issues, has led to a higher-than-usual number of cancellations on our long-haul network in the past few days," the Air India chief said in his message.
"This (reduction in services) will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues. We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience," he said in the message. The airline said it is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-accommodation on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling or full refunds as per their preference.
"We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience," Wilson said.
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