Air India has announced the suspension and reduction of frequencies on 29 international routes between June and August 2026. According to reports from India Business News, the airline has made these adjustments in response to a combination of factors including continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record high jet fuel prices for international operations. The service adjustments affect multiple routes across the airline's international network, with the airline stating it will still operate more than 1,200 international flights every month across five continents. In an official statement, Air India said the decision was taken because of two major challenges - many long-haul routes are now more costly and challenging to operate due to airspace restrictions over specific areas and record-high jet fuel prices for international operations. The airline has also announced it will continue operating 33 weekly flights to North America, 47 weekly flights to Europe, 57 weekly flights to the UK, eight weekly flights to Australia, 158 weekly flights to Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC destinations, along with seven weekly flights to Mauritius. The loss-making carrier emphasized that these moves are part of a broader rationalisation exercise as operational costs continue to rise for international routes.
The most significant changes affect Delhi-Chicago flights, which have been temporarily suspended. Additionally, Delhi-San Francisco service has been reduced from 10x weekly to 7x weekly through August 2026. However, Delhi-New York (JFK) remains a 7x weekly service, while Mumbai-New York (JFK) services will be temporarily suspended. As reported by India Business News, Mumbai-Newark has been increased from 3 weekly flights to daily operations, while Delhi-Newark remains temporarily suspended. Delhi-Toronto flights will drop from 10 weekly services to 5 through July before returning to daily operations in August. Flights from Delhi to San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver have been reduced, with the airline offering alternative bookings, date changes, or full refunds to affected passengers. Passengers are advised to check updates only through Air India's official website, app, customer care channels, or verified social media accounts.
Several Asia-Pacific routes face significant reductions, with Delhi-Shanghai service temporarily suspended through August 2026. Delhi-Singapore operations have been reduced from 24x weekly to 14x weekly, while Mumbai-Singapore service has been cut from 14x weekly to 7x weekly. Chennai-Singapore service is temporarily suspended through August. Delhi-Bangkok flights will reduce from 28 weekly services to 21 from July, while Mumbai-Bangkok flights will drop from 13 weekly services to 7. Delhi-Kuala Lumpur services will reduce from 10 weekly flights to 5. According to India Business News, these changes reflect the airline's adjustment to operational challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. Other routes, including Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Colombo, Dhaka, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City, will continue but with fewer weekly flights. The airline says affected travellers will be helped directly through alternative bookings, date changes, or full refunds.
European routes have experienced significant reductions, with Delhi-Paris flights reduced from 14 weekly services to 7. Delhi-Copenhagen services will drop from 4 weekly flights to 3, while Delhi-Milan flights will reduce from 5 weekly services to 4. Flights from Delhi to Vienna, Zurich and Rome will also be reduced from 4 weekly services to 3. As reported by India Business News, these changes affect multiple European destinations, with the airline offering alternative bookings, date changes, or full refunds to affected passengers. Europe is also seeing fewer flights, with popular routes like Paris, Rome, Zurich, Vienna, Milan, and Copenhagen now having reduced weekly services.
Delhi-Kathmandu service has been reduced from 42x weekly to 28x weekly in June, further to 21x weekly in July and August. Delhi-Dhaka has been cut from 7x weekly to 4x weekly, while Mumbai-Dhaka flights have been temporarily suspended through August 2026. Delhi-Malé service is temporarily suspended through August. Mumbai-Colombo flights will reduce from 7 weekly services to 4, while Delhi-Colombo services will reduce from 14 weekly flights to 12. As reported by India Business News, these changes affect multiple regional destinations across South Asia and the Middle East. In Australia, both Delhi-Melbourne and Delhi-Sydney flights have been reduced from daily operations to just 4 flights a week through this period.
Air India has refuted claims of cancelling all international flights due to fuel shortages, calling such speculation "false and baseless" as reported by Air India Newsroom. The airline has implemented reductions across parts of its international network for three months starting June as higher fuel costs and longer flying times hurt profitability on several routes. The pressure on Air India has intensified after the closure of Pakistani airspace forced several westbound flights onto longer routes, sharply increasing fuel consumption and crew costs. Flights headed to Europe and North America are now taking extended flight paths, with some North America-bound services making technical stops at Vienna or Stockholm, adding to operational expenses. The financial strain has worsened alongside a sharp spike in global jet fuel prices, with average jet fuel prices rising to $162.89 per barrel for the week ending May 8, 2026, from $99.40 at the end of February. Last week, outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson told employees that the airline would continue trimming international services because rising fuel prices and airspace restrictions had made some routes unprofitable.
