Air India has announced a second round of international flight cuts between June and August as soaring jet fuel prices and prolonged airspace restrictions continue to hurt the profitability of overseas operations.
The Tata-owned carrier said the temporary schedule rationalisation was aimed at improving network stability and reducing last-minute inconvenience to passengers. The airline denied reports suggesting it had suspended all international services due to fuel shortages, clarifying that it would continue operating over 1,200 international flights every month across five continents.
The revised schedule includes suspension of routes such as Delhi-Chicago, Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dhaka and Delhi-Malé through August. Delhi-Newark and Mumbai-New York (JFK) services have also been temporarily suspended, although Mumbai-Newark frequencies have been increased from three to seven weekly flights.
Several key international routes have also seen frequency cuts. Delhi-Paris services have been halved from 14 weekly flights to seven, while Delhi-Melbourne and Delhi-Sydney operations have been reduced from daily flights to four weekly services. Delhi-Toronto services will fall from 10 weekly flights to five through July before returning to daily operations in August. Flights to Vancouver, Copenhagen, Milan, Zurich, Vienna and Rome have also been reduced.
In Asia, Air India has cut Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Dhaka and Kathmandu frequencies. Delhi-Kathmandu services will reduce from 42 weekly flights to 21 by July-August, while Mumbai-Bangkok flights will decline from 13 weekly services to seven.
The airline said the move was necessitated by continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices for international operations. Global jet fuel prices have risen sharply in recent months, significantly impacting long-haul operations where fuel accounts for up to 40% of operating costs.
Last week, Air India chief executive officer Campbell Wilson had informed employees that several international routes had become commercially unsustainable due to higher fuel burn and longer flying times caused by the closure of Pakistani airspace.
Air India has been more affected than rivals such as IndiGo because of its extensive Europe and North America network. Several North America-bound flights are now operating via longer routings and technical halts, increasing both fuel and crew costs.
The airline said affected passengers would be offered alternative flights, free date changes or full refunds.
Flight Terminations (Till August 2026)
North America
- Delhi – Chicago
- Delhi – Newark
- Mumbai – New York (JFK)
Far East, Southeast Asia & SAARC
- Delhi – Shanghai
- Chennai – Singapore
- Mumbai – Dhaka
- Delhi – Malé
Frequency Reductions
North America
- Delhi – San Francisco: 10x weekly → 7x weekly
- Delhi – Toronto: 10x weekly → 5x weekly (through July; daily from August)
- Delhi – Vancouver: 7x weekly → 5x weekly
Europe
- Delhi – Paris: 14x weekly → 7x weekly
- Delhi – Copenhagen: 4x weekly → 3x weekly
- Delhi – Milan: 5x weekly → 4x weekly
- Delhi – Vienna: 4x weekly → 3x weekly
- Delhi – Zurich: 4x weekly → 3x weekly
- Delhi – Rome: 4x weekly → 3x weekly
Australia
- Delhi – Melbourne: 7x weekly → 4x weekly
- Delhi – Sydney: 7x weekly → 4x weekly
Far East, Southeast Asia & SAARC
- Delhi – Singapore: 24x weekly → 14x weekly
- Mumbai – Singapore: 14x weekly → 7x weekly
- Delhi – Bangkok: 28x weekly → 21x weekly (from July)
- Mumbai – Bangkok: 13x weekly → 7x weekly (from July)
- Delhi – Kuala Lumpur: 10x weekly → 5x weekly
- Delhi – Ho Chi Minh City: 7x weekly → 4x weekly
- Delhi – Hanoi: 5x weekly → 4x weekly
- Delhi – Kathmandu: 42x weekly → 28x weekly in June, then 21x weekly in July-August
- Delhi – Dhaka: 7x weekly → 4x weekly
- Mumbai – Colombo: 7x weekly → 4x weekly
- Delhi – Colombo: 14x weekly → 12x weekly
Frequency Increase
- Mumbai – Newark: 3x weekly → 7x weekly