NEW DELHI: Air India said Wednesday it will temporarily reduce or cut several domestic routes after making similar international cuts due to rising fuel prices from the Middle East war. Iran&rsquo;s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28 has sent aviation fuel prices soaring, raising concerns over carrier profitability and leading to a rise in airline fares. &ldquo;In continuation of our previously announced adjustments to select international services between June and August 2026, we have temporarily rationalized operations on certain domestic routes,&rdquo; Air India said Wednesday. &ldquo;These adjustments are driven by the sustained impact of high fuel prices on overall operations,&rdquo; it added. Air India did say which routes or how many flights would be affected. The Press Trust of India news agency, citing sources, suggested more than a fifth of the airline&rsquo;s domestic flights could be impacted. The airline said that the passengers hit by changes will be rebooked on alternative flights or offered full refunds. &ldquo;Air India will continue to monitor demand and operating conditions closely, with a view to restoring frequencies as conditions stabilize,&rdquo; it said. Air India announced earlier in May that it was suspending routes to Chicago, Shanghai, Male and Singapore from Indian cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai between June and August. It also announced a cut in the frequency of flights to San Francisco, Paris, Milan and Sydney. Since taking over Air India in 2022, the Tata conglomerate has embarked on an ambitious overhaul, ordering hundreds of aircraft and upgrading its aging fleet. The Middle East war has proven to be the latest in a series of setbacks. The biggest blow to the airline&rsquo;s image came in June 2025, when Air India Flight 171 &mdash; a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner &mdash; crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.

India

Mounting fuel costs triggered by escalating Middle East tensions have pushed Air India to temporarily scale back several domestic routes alongside earlier international flight reductions.

Air India slashes domestic flights amid Iran war fuel price spike

MUMBAI: Air India said Wednesday it would reduce or cut several international routes over jet fuel price hikes and airspace restrictions due to conflict. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-75" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Middle East War</a>&nbsp;since late February and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent aviation turbine fuel prices soaring, raising concerns over carrier profitability and leading to a rise in airline fares. Air India did not give the total number of flights affected, but said it would suspend routes to Chicago, Shanghai, and Singapore among other from certain Indian cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai between June and August. The airline added that it would also cut the frequency of flights to San Francisco, Paris, Milan and Sydney. Several factors have &quot;significantly&quot; impacted the commercial viability of some flights, the airline said in a statement. &quot;Despite the challenges and beyond these adjustments, Air India will continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month.&quot; The Middle East war has proven to be the latest in a series of setbacks for the Indian carrier, whose chief executive resigned in April. Since taking over Air India in 2022, the Tata conglomerate has embarked on an ambitious overhaul, ordering hundreds of aircraft and upgrading its ageing fleet. While the airline has managed to modernize operations and integrate the group&#39;s aviation businesses, it has faced persistent headwinds including aircraft delivery delays and airspace closures by Pakistan in 2025. But the biggest blow to the airline&#39;s image came in June 2025, when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/father-of-air-india-crash-pilot-seeks-independent-probe" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Air India Flight 171</a>&nbsp;&ndash; a London-bound Boeing 787 8 Dreamliner &ndash; crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.

Air India will suspend and reduce several international routes between June and August as soaring jet fuel prices, regional conflict and airspace restrictions strain the carrier’s profitability and operations.

Air India cuts some international routes as fuel prices bite

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended restrictions on Indian aircraft, keeping its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-extends-airspace-ban-on-indian-aircraft" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">airspace closed</a>&nbsp;to all Indian civil and military flights until March 23, the Pakistan Airports Authority said Thursday. The new notice, NOTAM A0096/26, covers both the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions, which make up the country&rsquo;s airspace. It replaces a previous directive that was set to expire on Feb. 23. Indian carriers have been forced to reroute flights along longer paths. Westbound flights from cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad now take a southern route over the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, passing through the United Arab Emirates or Oman before continuing to Europe, the UK, or North America. Some northern routes now pass through Chinese and Central Asian airspace. The rerouting has increased flight times and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/crash-pakistan-airspace-ban-push-air-india-toward-16-billion-annual-loss" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">operational costs</a>&nbsp;due to extra fuel stops.&nbsp;Indian airlines, particularly Air India, report fuel costs rising by up to 29% and estimated monthly losses of roughly $500 million. Pakistan and India have closed their airspaces to each other since tensions rose in late April 2025 following an attack in Pahalgam, in India-occupied Kashmir. New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the attack, which Pakistan denied while offering a neutral probe. The two countries briefly fought their fiercest military engagement in decades in early May 2025, with Pakistan downing several Indian jets.

Pakistan has extended restrictions on Indian aircraft, keeping its airspace closed to all Indian civil and military flights until March 23. (PIA)

Politics

Indian carriers have been forced to reroute flights along longer paths, increasing flight times and operational costs, due to extra fuel stops. 

Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian flights until March 23

ISLAMABAD: Air India has asked the Indian government to press China for access to sensitive airspace in Xinjiang to help cut costs and reduce flight times, according to a company document. Indian media reported that the internal company document requests access to airspace near Hotan, Kashgar, and Urumqi in western China, which is controlled by the Chinese military. The ban was put in place after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22, which India blamed on Pakistan. In response, India launched missile strikes into Pakistan in early May, leading to a brief conflict between the two nuclear-armed states. It lasted four days, only ending with a ceasefire on May 10. As a result of the airspace restrictions, some Air India routes are becoming financially unsustainable. The document detailed that the airline had to suspend one of its flights to the United States. It also warned that other direct flights to US destinations are &ldquo;becoming unviable&rdquo; due to the added travel time. Many passengers have even shifted to foreign carriers that still have access to Pakistani airspace. China&rsquo;s foreign ministry has said it is unaware of the situation, according to the document. Air India is also facing significant financial pressures from international regulatory authorities after a fatal crash killed more than 200 people this year. It also faces legal and financial burdens. The airline estimates that the $455 million impact from the airspace closure is substantial, especially given that its fiscal year 2024-25 pre-tax loss was $439 million, disclosed in a written response to the Indian Parliament by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. The national Indian carrier has requested temporary subsidies to help offset the financial impact until the Pakistani airspace is reopened, as per the document. In 2019, a similar closure of Pakistani airspace for five months cost Air India and other Indian carriers at least $64 million, according to the Indian government.

As a result of the airspace restrictions, some Air India routes are becoming financially unsustainable. 

Articles tagged with "air india"

Air India slashes domestic flights amid Iran war fuel price spike

Air India cuts some international routes as fuel prices bite

Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian flights until March 23

Air India seeks sensitive Chinese airspace as Pakistan ban costs mount

Air India slashes domestic flights amid Iran war fuel price spike