Air India Suspends Several International Routes; Chicago and Shanghai Flights Hit
Air India has announced the rationalization of its international flight schedule between June and August 2026. The airline cited record-high jet fuel prices and ongoing airspace restrictions as the primary reasons for the cuts. Major hubs including Chicago, Shanghai, and Newark are among those seeing temporary suspensions, though the carrier maintains it will continue to operate over 1,200 international flights monthly.
Air India is shrinking its global schedule to survive a "tough operating environment." The airline confirmed that record-high jet fuel prices and closed airspaces have made many long-distance flights too expensive to fly.
By cleaning up its summer 2026 schedule now, the airline wants to keep its remaining flights on time and stop last-minute cancellations. Despite these cuts, the Tata-owned airline continues to fly to five continents, maintaining a schedule of 1,200 monthly flights to destinations across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Major Routes Impacted
The restructuring hits some of Air India’s busiest long-haul corridors. Key services like Delhi-Chicago and Delhi-Newark have been temporarily suspended. Frequent travelers to the US West Coast will also see changes, with Delhi-San Francisco flights reduced from 10 to 7 per week.
In Europe, the impact is widespread. Delhi’s service to Paris is being slashed by half, from 14 flights a week to just seven. Other major European cities, including Milan, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich, will see their weekly flight frequencies trimmed. However, the airline is boosting its Mumbai-Newark service, increasing it to a daily flight to help bridge the gap.
Far East and SAARC
Connectivity to Asia and neighboring regions is also facing a temporary pullback. The Delhi-Shanghai and Chennai-Singapore routes are suspended through August. Popular tourist and business destinations like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore will see significant reductions in flight frequency from both Delhi and Mumbai.
Regional connectivity to SAARC nations is not immune. Flights to Kathmandu are being cut from 42 per week down to 21 by July. Additionally, services to Dhaka and Malé are seeing suspensions or reductions. Air India has stated it will proactively assist affected passengers with re-accommodation, free date changes, or full refunds.
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
Published By : Shourya Jha
Published On: 13 May 2026 at 15:56 IST