Air India To Resume International Flights From August 1 After Safety Pause

Air India on Tuesday announced a phased resumption of its international flight operations, which were scaled back following the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft on the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick route. The tragic accident claimed 260 lives, including all but one of the 242 passengers and 19 individuals on the ground.

The airline stated that select international routes and frequencies will be partially restored starting August 1, with full restoration scheduled by October 1, 2025.

The temporary suspension, referred to as a "safety pause", was implemented to allow for comprehensive precautionary checks on the airline's Boeing 787 fleet. Additionally, airspace closures over Pakistan and parts of the Middle East required longer flight paths, which impacted operations.

Highlights of the Partial Resumption:

• Ahmedabad-London Heathrow: 3 weekly flights to replace the 5 weekly Gatwick services from August 1 to September 30.
• Delhi-Zurich: Increasing from 4 to 5 weekly flights from August 1.
• Delhi-Tokyo Haneda: Returns to full daily operations from August 1.
• Delhi-Seoul Incheon: Will operate 5 times a week from September 1.
• Delhi-London Heathrow: Already back to full capacity with 24 weekly flights as of July 16.

Routes Still Operating at Reduced Capacity:

• Bengaluru-London Heathrow: Cut from 6 to 4 weekly flights starting August 1.
• Amritsar-Birmingham: 2 weekly flights until August 31, increasing to 3 from September.
• Delhi-Amsterdam: Will resume daily operations from August 1.
• Delhi-Birmingham, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen, Vienna: Continue with reduced frequencies.
• US & Canada routes: Delhi-Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, and both JFK and Newark (New York) will remain below full service.
• Mumbai-New York (JFK): Reduced from 7 to 6 weekly flights from August 1.
• Delhi-Chicago: Operating 4 weekly flights in August, up from 3.

Other Notable Updates:

• Delhi-Melbourne and Delhi-Sydney: Continue with 5 weekly flights each.
• Delhi-Nairobi: Will operate thrice weekly through August 31, then suspend operations in September.

Routes to London Gatwick from Amritsar and Goa (Mopa), Bengaluru-Singapore, and Pune-Singapore will stay suspended through September 30.

Air India noted that as some services initially scheduled for August and September will now be withdrawn, affected passengers are being contacted directly to offer alternative bookings or full refunds.

The airline apologized for the inconvenience and reiterated its commitment to safety and service restoration, as part of its post-crash