Air India will cut around 280 weekly domestic departures from Mumbai between June 1 and August 1, marking the airline’s first major reduction in domestic capacity, close on the heels of recent cuts in its international network. The revised schedule has not yet been officially announced by the airline. An email sent to Air India seeking confirmation and comments on the planned reductions did not receive a response till the time of going to press.
Route-Wise Rationalisation
Sources said the Tata-owned carrier will reduce frequencies across several major metro and trunk routes from Mumbai, with Delhi witnessing the steepest cut of nearly 50 weekly flights, though the route will still retain close to 300 weekly services. Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata will each see around 21 fewer weekly departures, while Bengaluru, which is one of the country’s busiest business travel routes, will also witness a reduction of roughly 21 weekly flights, taking total frequencies to below 70 per week.
In addition to frequency reductions, Air India will temporarily suspend services from Mumbai to Nagpur, Varanasi, Patna and Bhopal during the two-month period. Sources said the scale of reductions is marginally higher than what was seen last year, particularly from Mumbai, which remains one of the airline’s key domestic hubs.
Industry-Wide Recalibration
The move comes amid elevated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, mounting operational cost pressures and seasonally weaker travel demand during the monsoon months. Industry executives said fuel continues to account for a significant share of airline operating costs, while volatility in global crude prices and intense fare competition in the domestic market are forcing carriers to rationalise capacity more aggressively.
The domestic cuts follow Air India’s recent decision to withdraw around 280 weekly international services and suspend eight overseas routes until August. The airline had then attributed the reductions to higher fuel costs and longer flying times caused by rerouting around restricted airspace. Despite the cuts, Air India had said it continues to operate over 1,200 international flights every month across five continents.
As far as domestic flight cuts go, sources indicated that additional domestic reductions from other Air India hubs such as Delhi and Bengaluru are likely in the coming weeks. Some cuts are also expected from Air India Express, the group’s low-cost arm, as the airline recalibrates operations during the lean travel season.
The trend is not limited to Air India. IndiGo has also undertaken a broad reshuffle of its domestic network in recent weeks, reducing departures from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata while increasing international frequencies from hubs such as Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
July to September is traditionally a weaker quarter for India’s domestic aviation sector, with airlines usually trimming capacity by around 10%. However, industry sources said this year’s reductions are steeper than normal across major carriers, with more flight cuts expected from key hubs in the coming months.