Air India cancels, cuts international flights amid safety checks and airspace issues

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The North News

New Delhi, June 20

Air India has cancelled eight flights, including four international services, and reduced frequencies on several others as part of a temporary operational reshuffle prompted by enhanced maintenance checks and ongoing airspace disruptions in the Middle East. The airline announced on Thursday that it would suspend or reduce operations on routes operated by its Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft from 21 June to at least 15 July 2025. The decision is part of what Air India called “a voluntary move” to undertake pre-flight safety inspections and adjust for longer flight durations necessitated by Middle East airspace closures.

“These measures are being implemented to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers,” the airline said in a statement.

Among the routes completely suspended until 15 July are:

• Delhi–Nairobi (AI961/962): 4 weekly flights
• Amritsar–London Gatwick (AI169/170): 3 weekly flights
• Goa (Mopa)–London Gatwick (AI145/146): 3 weekly flights

North America services have seen some of the steepest reductions:

• Delhi–Toronto: from 13 to 7 weekly flights
• Delhi–Vancouver: from 7 to 5
• Delhi–San Francisco: from 10 to 7
• Delhi–Chicago: from 7 to just 3
• Delhi–Washington Dulles: from 5 to 3

Flights to Europe are also impacted:

• Delhi–London Heathrow: 24 to 22 weekly
• Bengaluru–London Heathrow: 7 to 6
• Amritsar and Delhi–Birmingham: 3 to 2
• Delhi–Paris: 14 to 12
• Delhi–Milan: 7 to 4
• Delhi–Copenhagen: 5 to 3
• Delhi–Vienna: 4 to 3
• Delhi–Amsterdam: 7 to 5

Services to Australia are similarly reduced:

• Delhi–Melbourne and Delhi–Sydney: 7 to 5 each

Far East Asia routes affected include:

• Delhi–Tokyo Haneda: 7 to 6
• Delhi–Seoul Incheon: 5 to 4

Air India clarified that the Delhi–Nairobi route is suspended only until 30 June, and Seoul services will operate thrice weekly from 21 June to 5 July before increasing to four times weekly until 15 July.

The airline apologised for the disruption and stated it is proactively contacting affected passengers with rebooking options, full refunds, or complimentary rescheduling. Updated schedules are being published progressively on the airline’s website, mobile app, and customer service platforms.

“While these curtailments are temporary, we remain fully committed to safety and will restore our full schedule as soon as practicable,” the statement added.