Air India to suspend flights on several international routes as jet fuel prices surge
The cuts will be implemented from June to August, said the airline.
Air India will temporarily suspend its services on certain international routes from June to August due to airspace restrictions over some regions and record-high prices of jet fuel, stated the airline on Wednesday.
Among the routes that will be disrupted are Delhi-Chicago and Mumbai-New York. Flights on the Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dhaka and Delhi-Malé routes will be suspended throughout August, added the airline.
Air India said that it will reduce the frequency of its flights to San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Paris, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore and Bangkok, among others, during this period.
The statement came two weeks after Air India, along with IndiGo and SpiceJet, sought a revision in aviation turbine fuel prices amid the conflict in West Asia, warning the Union government that the country’s aviation sector was on the verge of “stopping operations”.
The war has pushed up global oil prices and led to airspace restrictions that have increased operating costs. Aviation turbine fuel accounts for about 40% of an airline’s operating expenses.
On Wednesday, Air India said that it will continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month.
These include 33 flights every week to North America, 47 flights to Europe, 57 flights to the United Kingdom, eight flights to Australia, 158 flights to the Far East, Southeast Asia, and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation regions, and seven flights per week to Mauritius.
Since the conflict in West Asia broke out, Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels. About 20% of the global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.
The airspace restrictions in West Asia have disrupted operations in the Gulf region and also forced airlines to take longer routes to Europe and North America.
Since April 24, 2025, Pakistan has also closed its airspace for Indian flights in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which has forced airlines to take longer routes to West Asia.
Air India has suffered losses of more than Rs 20,000 crore since the crisis began, the Economic Times reported. Its owner, Tata Sons, and its strategic partner, Singapore Airlines, have been facing pressure to control costs and restore financial health, according to the newspaper.
Written by Neerad Pandharipande. Edited by Sneha.
