Air India has cancelled four international and four domestic flights due to “enhanced maintenance and operational reasons”. This comes as the carrier plans to cut 38 international flights per week and suspend services on three overseas routes between June 21 and July 15.
It cancelled international flights AI906 from Dubai to Chennai, AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne, AI309 from Melbourne to Delhi, and AI2204 from Dubai to Hyderabad on Friday, as well as domestic flights AI874 from Pune to Delhi, AI456 from Ahmedabad to Delhi, AI-2872 from Hyderabad to Mumbai, and AI571 from Chennai to Mumbai.
The airline announced it will cut 38 international flights per week and suspend services on three overseas routes for about three weeks. The Tata Group-owned airline said the reductions aim to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers following disruptions after the June 12 plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The airline will suspend services on the Delhi-Nairobi, Amritsar-London (Gatwick), and Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) routes until July 15. Delhi-Nairobi has four flights per week, while Amritsar-London and Goa-London each have three flights weekly. Additionally, flights will be reduced on 18 international routes connecting cities in North America, Europe, Australia, and the Far East.
North American routes affected include Delhi-Toronto, Delhi-Vancouver, Delhi-San Francisco, Delhi-Chicago, and Delhi-Washington. European routes with reduced services are Delhi-London Heathrow, Bengaluru-London Heathrow, Amritsar-Birmingham, Delhi-Birmingham, Delhi-Paris, Delhi-Milan, Delhi-Copenhagen, Delhi-Vienna, and Delhi-Amsterdam. Services on Delhi-Melbourne, Delhi-Sydney, Delhi-Tokyo Haneda, and Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) have also been cut.
Air India said the reductions result from enhanced pre-flight safety checks and additional flight durations due to airspace closures in the Middle East. CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson stated the airline will continue these safety checks on its Boeing 787 and 777 fleets as a confidence-building measure.
Air India is contacting affected passengers to offer re-accommodation on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling, or full refunds according to their preference.
