Air India Resumes Key International Routes Post ‘Safety Pause’, Full Operations by October
Air India has announced a phased restoration of its international flight schedule, following a self-imposed “Safety Pause” after the tragic crash of Flight AI171 in June that claimed 260 lives.
The airline began reinstating select routes on July 16, with more resuming from August 1 and full operations targeted by October 1, 2025.
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Key Developments:
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New Route: A thrice-weekly Ahmedabad–London Heathrow flight will begin August 1, replacing the existing five-times-a-week service to London Gatwick.
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Reinstated Flights:
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Delhi–London (Heathrow): Full 24x weekly service resumed from July 16.
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Delhi–Zurich: Increased to 5x weekly from August 1.
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Delhi–Tokyo (Haneda): Full 7x weekly from August 1.
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Delhi–Seoul (Incheon): Full 5x weekly from September 1.
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Delhi–Nairobi: 3x weekly until August 31.
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Continued Reductions (Until Sept 30):
Several key routes, including Delhi–Chicago, Delhi–San Francisco, Delhi–Toronto, and Delhi–Paris, remain curtailed. For instance, Delhi–Chicago will operate just 4x weekly in August, down from a full 7x.
Delhi–New York (JFK) and Mumbai–New York routes also see service trimmed to 6x weekly from mid-July and August respectively.
Temporary Suspensions:
Routes like Amritsar–London Gatwick, Goa–London Gatwick, and Bengaluru–Singapore remain suspended until September 30.
Passenger Support:
Air India has assured that affected passengers will be contacted for rebooking options or full refunds. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” the airline said.
Despite the reductions, Air India expects to operate over 525 weekly international flights across 63 short, long, and ultra-long haul routes by September-end.
This phased comeback comes amid renewed global scrutiny of airline safety and heightened oversight of Boeing 787 aircraft in Indian service, following the June crash in Ahmedabad linked to malfunctioning fuel control switches.