Why is Air India cutting international flights? Which are the impacted routes?

Grappling with the headwinds due to the West Asia crisis, Air India has made substantial cuts to its international flight schedule for the June-August period, as the surging international jet fuel prices have put the Tata group airline’s international operations under severe stress. Flight frequencies on numerous routes have been reduced, while a few routes have been suspended altogether.According to information provided by the airline and flight schedules filed by it, about 250 weekly international flights — outbound and inbound — have been cut. This reduction is on top of flights that have been cut in recent weeks amid the West Asia war.The routes that have been temporarily suspended include Delhi-Chicago, Delhi-Newark, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Delhi-Male, and Mumbai-Dhaka. Frequencies on most other international routes have been reduced in varying degrees. “The adjustments have been made in response to a combination of factors, including continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record high jet fuel prices for international operations, which significantly impact the commercial viability of certain planned services,” Air India said, adding that despite the schedule curtailment, it will still be operating over 1,200 international flights a month. “Despite the challenges and beyond these adjustments, Air India will continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month, retaining a robust international network that spans five continents, including 33 flights per week to North America, 47 flights per week to Europe, 57 flights per week to the UK, 8 flights per week to Australia, 158 flights per week to the Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC regions, and 7 flights per week to Mauritius (Africa),” the airline said. While the carrier said that it continues to work closely with the regulators, airport authorities, and industry partners to restore full capacity as soon as conditions permit, a further adjustments to its network may be required, “should the extraordinary operating environment prevail”. Jet fuel’s share in operating costs Even before the West Asia war, jet fuel accounted for about 40% of Indian airlines’ operating costs. The conflict and its impact on fuel prices has led to a jump in the fuel’s share in the carriers’ cost structure. Notably, while only a fraction of the international jet fuel price hike has been passed on for domestic flights, Indian carriers have to cough up the full international prices — which have more than doubled since late February — for their international operations. That is a key reason why Air India has significantly curtailed its international operations.Story continues below this ad The West Asia war, which began on February 28, has led to major airspace disruptions in the Gulf region, which accounts for a significant chunk of international air traffic to and from India. The region also serves as a critical corridor for Air India’s flights to Europe and North America, which means that apart from disrupting operations to destinations in West Asia, the war has forced the airline to take longer, circuitous routes to Europe and beyond. This is leading to higher operating costs, particularly due to additional fuel burn at a time when jet fuel prices are also surging due to war-related supply disruptions. The West Asian airspace closures have added to complications for Indian airlines, which had already been grappling with the continued closure of Pakistan’s airspace since late April 2025. Amid the severe headwinds, the Air India top brass assured the airline’s workforce last week that it was not anticipating any layoffs, but called for a relentless focus on saving costs. The Tata group airline also announced that the annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter due to the uncertain and volatile economic and operating environment, although it will proceed with bonuses for the last financial year and implement the planned sta