Air India Slashes International Operations Due To High Jet Fuel Prices

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Air India has confirmed that it will adjust its schedule in response to airspace restrictions “over certain regions” and high jet fuel prices in a bid to improve the reliability of its operations.

The changes to the schedule will take effect from June, the airline announced on May 13, 2026.

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“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,” the carrier said, adding that the changes are aimed at improving network stability and reducing last-minute inconvenience to passengers.

The airline warned that it “may make further adjustments to its network, should the extraordinary operating environment prevail,” even as it works closely with the regulators, airport authorities, and industry partners to restore full capacity as soon as conditions permit.

Air India will continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month, including 33 flights per week to North America, 47 flights per week to Europe, 57 flights per week to the United Kingdom, eight flights per week to Australia, 158 flights per week to the Far East, Southeast Asia, and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) regions, and a daily flight to Mauritius, which is in Africa.

In North America, the carrier’s Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)-Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) non-stop service will be temporarily suspended. At the same time, its DEL to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will lose three weekly departures.

Air India noted that its Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) flights will go from thrice-weekly to daily, DEL to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) itinerary will keep its daily frequencies, and DEL to EWR and BOM to JFK will also be “temporarily suspended.”

Flights between DEL and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) will initially lose five weekly departures through July, going back to daily in August, and the daily DEL-Vancouver International Airport (YVR) flights will go from daily to five weekly.

In Europe, the carrier will reduce twice-daily connections between DEL and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to a daily service. The DEL-Copenhagen Airport (CPH) route will be reduced from four to three weekly flights, as will the services to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Vienna Airport (VIE), and Zurich Airport (ZRH).

Meanwhile, in Asia, Air India will temporarily suspend its DEL-Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) service as part of the rationalization of routes to the Far East, while flights between DEL and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) will be twice-daily instead of the current 24 weekly departures. Similarly, the BOM-SIN route will be a daily flight rather than the twice-daily service currently. The airline will suspend flying from Chennai International Airport (MAA) to SIN till August.

From July, Air India will serve the DEL-Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) route with 21 flights a week, down from four daily flights, while BOM-BKK will become a daily operation, down from the current 13 weekly flights. The carrier’s DEL to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) operations will be reduced from 10 to five weekly flights.

Regarding its flights to Australia, the airline will reduce its daily services from Delhi to both Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Sydney Airport (SYD) to four weekly departures.

The cancellation or readjustment of other Indian carriers’ schedules, such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet, remains unclear.

Interestingly, on April 29, IndiGo issued a statement announcing the resumption of all its flights connecting various parts of India to Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) from May 1. It added that flights to the Middle East, including Qatar, were temporarily suspended due to airspace closures resulting from the geopolitical developments in the region. IndiGo also started a three-times-a-week service between MAA and Roland Garros Airport (RUN) on Réunion Island, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, on April 29.

But the situation of the low-cost carrier’s global network is not immediately clear.

Air India joins global list of airlines cutting back flights

In early May, the BBC reported that airlines had cut over 13,000 flights globally during the month, with jet fuel prices continuing to soar due to the conflict in the Middle East. The BBC report added that this only amounts to 1% of global flights, and departures in and out of the UK are largely unaffected.

In April, the Associated Press (AP) published an exclusive interview with Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Birol said that Europe may have “six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel supplies, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked due to the hostilities in Iran.