The Tata Group-owned airline, Air India, has once again decided to cancel flights. This time, eight international and domestic flights were affected. These include flights from Chennai to Dubai, Delhi to Melbourne, Hyderabad to Mumbai, and Ahmedabad to Delhi, all canceled due to maintenance and operational reasons.
Specifically, the airline has suspended AI906 from Dubai to Chennai, AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne, AI309 from Melbourne to Delhi, AI2204 from Dubai to Hyderabad, domestic flights AI874 from Pune to Delhi, AI456 from Ahmedabad to Delhi, AI-2872 from Hyderabad to Mumbai, and AI571 from Chennai to Mumbai.
Reduction of International Flights
Air India announced on Thursday it will trim 38 international flights weekly and suspend services on three foreign routes between June 21 and July 15. This move comes in the wake of a tragic aviation accident in Ahmedabad on June 12. The Tata Group-owned airline aims to restore schedule stability and minimize last-minute inconveniences for passengers by reducing flights on 18 international routes.
Services Suspended Between June 21 and July 15
This announcement follows Air India's decision to temporarily reduce operations by 15% involving wide-bodied aircraft. The imposed cutbacks are effective from June 21, 2025, and are expected to last until at least July 15, 2025. The services will remain suspended until July 15 on the Delhi-Nairobi, Amritsar-London (Gatwick), and Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) routes.
Reduction in Flights on Specific Routes
The airline cites four weekly flights on the Delhi-Nairobi route, three weekly on Amritsar-London (Gatwick), and Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) routes, along with other reductions on routes connecting North America, Europe, Australia, and cities in the Far East. North American routes facing reductions include Delhi-Toronto, Delhi-Vancouver, Delhi-San Francisco, Delhi-Chicago, and Delhi-Washington.
Reasons for Flight Reductions
'This reduction is due to enhanced pre-flight safety checks decided voluntarily along with the closure of Middle East airspace,' Air India stated. Earlier, Air India’s CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson explained to passengers that the airline has decided to continue pre-flight safety checks on its Boeing 787 fleet and Boeing 777 aircraft.
Considering the time these additional checks require and their possible impact on schedules, Air India has decided to reduce its international wide-body operations by approximately 15% starting June 20 until mid-July. European routes affected by service cuts include Delhi-London Heathrow, Bengaluru-London Heathrow, Amritsar-Birmingham, Delhi-Birmingham, Delhi-Paris, Delhi-Milan, Delhi-Copenhagen, Delhi-Vienna, and Delhi-Amsterdam.
