New Delhi: Air India on Wednesday announced a temporary suspension and reduction of several international flight operations due to ongoing airspace restrictions and record-high jet fuel prices.
The loss-making airline said the latest “rationalisation” of services will remain in effect during the June-August period.
In a statement, the airline said a combination of factors — including continued airspace restrictions in certain regions and sharply rising aviation fuel costs — had significantly impacted the commercial viability of some scheduled international operations.
As part of the revised schedule, Air India will temporarily suspend services on the following routes until August:
Delhi–Chicago
Mumbai–New York
Delhi–Shanghai
Chennai–Singapore
Mumbai–Dhaka
Delhi–Male
The airline had already reduced frequencies on certain routes earlier as part of cost-management measures.
Despite the temporary suspensions, Air India said it will continue operating more than 1,200 international flights every month.
According to the airline, this includes:
33 weekly flights to North America
47 weekly flights to Europe
57 weekly flights to the United Kingdom
8 weekly flights to Australia
158 weekly flights to Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC destinations
7 weekly flights to Mauritius and Africa routes
The airline said it is continuously reviewing operational and market conditions before taking further decisions on international connectivity.
