In the aftermath of the tragic Air India Ahmedabad crash on June 12 which claimed 240 lives, the airline has announced a 15% reduction in international services on its widebody aircraft. The decision came after repeated flight cancellations and enhanced pre‑flight safety checks. Following this update on June 18, Air India has cancelled four international flights and four domestic flights today, June 20.

Flight cancellations: June 20

Air India’s international flights AI906 from Dubai to Chennai; AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne; AI309 from Melbourne to Delhi; AI2204 from Dubai to Hyderabad have been cancelled. Domestic flights AI874 from Pune to Delhi; AI456 from Ahmedabad to Delhi; AI-2872 from Hyderabad to Mumbai and AI571 from Chennai to Mumbai have faced the same outcome. Reportedly, Air India took this move due to enhanced maintenance and operational reasons.

Additionally, a Madurai-bound private carrier with 68 passengers suffered a technical snag mid-air on Friday and returned here, airport officials said. After flying for about half an hour, the pilot detected the snag, and sought permission to fly back to Chennai. It has landed safely.

Reduced Boeing 787 and 777 operations

Air India has announced a temporary reduction in its international flight operations, effective from June 21 to July 15, 2025, due to enhanced pre-flight safety checks and extended flight durations resulting from ongoing airspace restrictions in the Middle East. The airline stated that these changes are part of a broader effort to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute disruptions for passengers.

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As part of the changes, several routes have been temporarily suspended, including Delhi–Nairobi, Amritsar–London (Gatwick), and Goa (Mopa)–London (Gatwick). In addition, numerous flights across North America, Europe, Australia, and the Far East will operate at reduced frequency. For instance, Delhi–Toronto will reduce from 13 to 7 weekly flights, while Delhi–San Francisco will drop from 10 to 7 weekly. Key European routes such as Delhi–Paris and Delhi–Milan will also see notable frequency cuts.

Air India emphasised that these adjustments are temporary and in the interest of passenger safety and operational reliability, assuring that full service will resume post-July 15, subject to prevailing conditions.

This comes after the tragic loss of at least 240 lives after AI 171 crashed into the medical college hostel in Ahmedabad. Causing largescale loss of live, infrastructure and a traumatic memory for civil aviation, Air India was issued a set of guidelines from the DGCA.