Air India cuts flights as international turmoil continues

Air India announced the rationalisation of its services on select international routes between June and August 2026. 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. These changes are aimed at improving network stability and reducing last-minute inconvenience to passengers. Despite the challenges and beyond these adjustments, Air India will continue to operate more than 1200 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, 08 flights per week to Australia, 158 flights per week to the Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC regions, and 07 flights per week to Mauritius (Africa). Air India will proactively assist customers with bookings affected by the cancellations through this period with re-accommodation on alternative feasible Air India flights, free date change or full refunds, as applicable. The airline remains available to support guests through its 24×7 contact centre and digital channels. The temporary network adjustments are summarised below by region: North America Delhi-Chicago: temporarily suspended Delhi-San Francisco: reduced from 10x weekly to 7x weekly through August Delhi-Toronto: reduced from 10x weekly to 5x weekly through July, increasing to daily operation from August Delhi-Vancouver: reduced from 7x weekly to 5x weekly Mumbai-Newark service increases from 3x weekly to 7x weekly and Delhi-New York (JFK) remains a 7x weekly service while Delhi-Newark and Mumbai-New York (JFK) services will be temporarily suspended Europe Delhi-Paris: reduced from 14x weekly to 7x weekly Delhi-Copenhagen: reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly Delhi-Milan: reduced from 5x weekly to 4x weekly Delhi-Vienna: reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly Delhi-Zurich: reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly Delhi-Rome: reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly Australia Delhi-Melbourne: reduced from 7x weekly to 4x weekly Delhi-Sydney: reduced from 7x weekly to 4x weekly Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC Delhi-Shanghai: temporarily suspended through August Delhi-Singapore: reduced from 24x weekly to 14x weekly Mumbai-Singapore: reduced from 14x weekly to 7x weekly Chennai-Singapore: temporarily suspended through August Delhi-Bangkok: reduced from 28x weekly to 21x weekly from July Mumbai-Bangkok: reduced from 13x weekly to 7x weekly from July Delhi-Kuala Lumpur: reduced from 10x weekly to 5x weekly Delhi-Ho Chi Minh City: reduced from 7x weekly to 4x weekly in July and August Delhi-Hanoi: reduced from 5x weekly to 4x weekly in July and August Delhi-Kathmandu: reduced from 42x weekly to 28x weekly in June, and further to 21x weekly in July and August Delhi-Dhaka: reduced from 7x weekly to 4x weekly Mumbai-Dhaka: temporarily suspended through August Mumbai-Colombo: reduced from 7x weekly to 4x weekly Delhi-Colombo: reduced from 14x weekly to 12x weekly Delhi-Malé: temporarily suspended through August Air India said it continues to work closely with the regulators, airport authorities, and industry partners to restore full capacity as soon as conditions permit, but may make further adjustments to its network, should the extraordinary operating environment prevail. Meanwhile, Air India continues to weigh on the earnings at part-owner Singapore Airlines. The Singapore carrier reported last week record revenue of 20.5 billion Singapore dollars ($16.06 billion) for its financial year ended March 31, as operating profit surged 39% to SG$2.38 billion on higher demand, higher yields and lower full year net fuel cost, SIA said. However, net profit plunged 57.4% year-on-year to SG$1.18 billion— mainly owing to Air India’s losses and an accounting gain in the previous year. Air India has been beset by numerous hindrances: Pakistan’s airspace closed in April 2025, then Flight 171 crashed in June, killing more than 250 people. AirAsia discontinues Bali flights from Melbourne and Adelaide Due to current operating conditions, AirAsia has made the difficult decision to suspend services between Melbourne (MEL) and Denpasar (DPS), and Adelaide (ADL) and Denpasar (DPS). Captain Achmad Sadikin Abdurachman, General Manager of Indonesia AirAsia, said the decision was not made lightly, but the current operating environment has made these routes no longer viable.  “This decision has been made in response to the sustained increase in global jet fuel prices caused by the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East. This operating environment has led to the need to refocus our network on routes that remain operationally viable at this time,” he said. “AirAsia understands the suspension impacts long-made travel plans and we apologise for the inconvenience this decision has caused, and we want to thank our guests for their support and understanding.” The airline’s teams are contacting affected customers directly, detailing the options available. Where possible, AirAsia is committed to getting guests to their destination either through date changes, or via its Kuala Lumpur hub. The last flight operating between Melbourne to Denpasar and Adelaide to Denpasar will be on 18 June 2026. The impacted services are operated by Indonesia AirAsia. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]