Air India is again scaling back its international network for the Northern Summer 2026 season, with dozens of long-haul and regional routes suspended or reduced between June and August.
The latest cuts affect services to North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, following a first round of reductions earlier this spring. The airline cited soaring jet fuel prices, ongoing Middle East airspace restrictions and weakening demand on some long-haul markets as the main reasons behind the move.
Flights from India to Europe and North America have been particularly impacted because carriers must avoid Pakistani and some Middle Eastern airspace, increasing flight times and fuel burn.
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. That includes 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).
Importantly, the summer program of flights to and from the UK is not affected.
In details, the cuts in the network are the following 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
Indian media reports indicate the carrier’s reduction on the 29 international routes represent around 100 daily flights during the peak summer period.
The cuts come as the Tata Group-owned airline continues a major fleet renewal and retrofit program aimed at transforming the carrier into a stronger global competitor. However, the current geopolitical and economic environment has complicated those expansion ambitions.
Air India stressed the schedule reductions are temporary and said affected passengers are being offered re-booking options or refunds.
