Air India Scales Back International Flights After Fatal Crash and Rising Regional Tensions

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Air India said Wednesday that it would start reducing international flying on widebody aircraft by 15% until mid-July, a decision that comes nearly a week after the carrier experienced a fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad.

The carrier said it was reducing international widebody service for a variety of reasons: enhanced safety inspections following the crash, airspace closures in parts of Europe and Asia, and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Air India has canceled 83 flights in the past six days.

“The curtailments are a painful measure to take, but are necessary following a devastating event which we are still working through and an unusual combination of external events,” Air India said in a statement.

Air India said customers affected by the reductions will have the option to reschedule their flights without any additional cost or receive a full refund if they decide to cancel their trip.

On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff. Only one passenger survived. The cause of the crash is currently unclear.

Since the crash, Indian aviation regulators have ordered safety checks on Air India’s 787 fleet. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has one of the strongest safety records in the industry. Up until the incident, there had been no reported fatalities on a 787.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said Wednesday that inspections of Air India’s 787 fleet did not reveal “any major safety concerns.”

Air India said it would also take “enhanced safety measures” on its Boeing 777 fleet.

Air India is also grappling with flight diversions due to the escalating Israel-Iran conflict in the Middle East.

The carrier already had to divert several routes due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, which came in response to rising tensions between India and Pakistan following a terrorist attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir.

“Due to the emerging situation in Iran and parts of the Middle East, the subsequent closure of airspace, and in view of the safety of our passengers, some of our flights are operating on alternative extended routes,” Air India said in a post on X on June 13.

Airlines around the world are diverting routes and canceling flights to the Middle East due to the conflict. IndiGo, another major carrier in India, said the airspace closures in the region could lead to more delays and cancellations.