Air India trims long-haul schedule amid safety checks
Air India has announced a temporary scale-back of long-haul operations using its Boeing 787 and 777 fleets.
The carrier cited the need for precautionary safety inspections in the wake of the 787-8 crash near Ahmedabad and ongoing airspace constraints over parts of Europe and the Middle East for the 15% reduction in services.
The revised flying programme takes effect from 21 June 2025 and is expected to remain in place until at least 15 July 2025.
Three Air India routes temporarily suspended
The airline says the decision is intended to bring greater schedule reliability and minimise the risk of last-minute flight disruptions, while accommodating extended routing times due to geopolitical airspace closures.
Three routes will be temporarily suspended: Delhi–Nairobi (AI961/962), Amritsar–London Gatwick (AI169/170), and Goa Mopa–London Gatwick (AI145/146).
Service on Delhi–Nairobi will be halted until 30 June, while the London routes will be paused through 15 July.
Delhi–Nairobi had a four-weekly frequency, while the London routes were operated three times a week.
Reduced frequencies into July
Numerous other intercontinental routes will see reduced frequencies across North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and Australia.
Delhi–Toronto, for example, drops to once daily, while Delhi–Chicago and Delhi–Washington will each operate just three times weekly. In Europe, several cities including Paris, Milan, and Copenhagen will also see reductions.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Delhi–Tokyo and Delhi–Seoul are among the affected routes. The Seoul service will run three times weekly until 5 July, rising to four times weekly thereafter.
Delhi to London Heathrow is reduced from 24x weekly to 22x weekly, while Bengaluru to Heathrow will drop from 7x weekly to 6x weekly.
Air India has apologised for the inconvenience caused and is offering affected customers options including complimentary changes or full refunds.
The carrier said: “Air India apologises to the passengers affected by these curtailments, and is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-accommodation on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling or full refunds as per their preference.
“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.”
In an update on the crash, Air India said authorities were continuing to explore the reasons for the crash.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has mandated enhanced safety inspections across Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and -9 fleet.
Out of total 33 aircraft, inspections have been completed on 26 and these have been cleared for service, while inspection of the remainder will be complete in the coming days, the airline said.
“The fact that 26 aircraft have been cleared gives reassurance in the safety measures and procedures that we follow,” it added. “As a matter of added precaution, Air India will also undertake enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 777 fleet.”
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, night curfews in Europe and Asia, the enhanced safety inspections, and a “necessary cautious approach being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots”, have already led to 83 cancellations.
