Air India suspends three int'l routes, cuts frequency on several others

Air India temporarily halts services to Nairobi, London, and other global cities citing enhanced safety inspections and longer flight durations due to Middle East airspace closures

Air India on Thursday night announced the suspension of its Delhi–Nairobi, Amritsar–London (Gatwick), and Goa (Mopa)–London (Gatwick) services as part of a temporary scaling down of operations on its long-haul network. The airline cited voluntary enhanced safety inspections and extended flight durations due to airspace closures in the Middle East as the reasons for the move, which will take effect from 21 June and continue at least until 15 July.

 

The announcement comes a week after Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June, killing 241 people on board and 34 on the ground. Only one passenger survived. On 13 June, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered enhanced safety inspections of all 33 Boeing 787 aircraft in Air India’s fleet.

   

The airline said it is undertaking pre-flight checks beyond mandatory requirements, in addition to managing longer flight times caused by rerouting through available air corridors. These measures have reduced aircraft availability, prompting the airline to curtail flights in a bid to maintain schedule reliability and minimise last-minute disruptions.

 

The three suspended routes include four-times-weekly Delhi–Nairobi flights (AI961/962), which will remain suspended until 30 June, and the three-times-weekly Amritsar–London Gatwick (AI169/170) and Goa (Mopa)–London Gatwick (AI145/146) services, which will remain off the schedule until at least mid-July.

 

Air India will also reduce flight frequency on several other international routes. In North America, the Delhi–Toronto service will operate seven times a week instead of 13, while Delhi–Vancouver will reduce from seven to five weekly flights. Services to San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C. will also see frequency reductions. 

 

In Europe, Air India will cut two flights on the Delhi–London Heathrow route, reducing it from 24 to 22 per week, and lower frequencies on routes to Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Vienna, and Birmingham. From Bengaluru, services to London will drop from seven to six weekly flights.

 

Australian routes from Delhi to Melbourne and Sydney will each operate five times a week instead of seven. In the Far East, Delhi–Tokyo will reduce from seven to six weekly flights, and Delhi–Seoul will operate three times weekly from 21 June to 5 July, and four times weekly thereafter until 15 July.

 

The airline apologised to passengers affected by the cancellations and said it is proactively reaching out to offer alternative travel arrangements, including complimentary rescheduling or full refunds. The revised schedule is being progressively updated on Air India’s website, mobile app, and contact centre.

 

“We remain committed to restoring our full schedule as soon as practicable, while at all times prioritising the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft,” the airline said in its statement.