Air India to Restore Most Curtailed Flights from September 1

Synopsis

Air India will restore most curtailed flights starting September 1. The airline is also adding frequencies on several international routes including Additional services will go to Milan, Frankfurt, and Zurich. Melbourne, Tokyo, and New York. These changes follow a sharp rise in fuel prices earlier.

Air India will restore most of the flight services it curtailed in July and August from September 1, while also adding frequencies on several international routes during the winter season, Reuters reported Friday, citing an internal memo.

According to the memo, the airline will restore most services that were cut in July and August following a sharp rise in fuel prices.

The airline will also add additional frequencies to Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, Melbourne, Tokyo and New York during the winter schedule.

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ET Online could not independently verify the report immediately.

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The planned restoration comes after Air India temporarily reduced its domestic and international operations amid higher fuel prices and other operating challenges.

In May, the airline announced a cut of nearly 100 international flights during the June-August period, reducing international capacity by up to 27%. It also temporarily suspended services on seven routes, including Delhi-Chicago, Delhi-Newark, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dhaka and Delhi-Male.

Two weeks later, Air India also announced a temporary reduction in domestic services. The airline cut 20-22% of its domestic flights during the July-August period, according to sources. With around 3,600 domestic flights operated every week, the reduction amounted to more than 790 weekly services at the higher end of the range.

At the time, Air India said the domestic adjustments were driven by the sustained impact of high fuel prices on its operations.

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"Air India will continue to monitor demand and operating conditions closely, with a view to restoring frequencies as conditions stabilise," the airline had said.

The carrier had also said passengers affected by the cuts would be offered alternative flights, complimentary date changes or full refunds, as applicable.

Air India has also been under pressure from high operating costs. Its loss stood at more than SGD 3.56 billion, or over ₹26,700 crore, in the financial year ended March 2026, according to figures disclosed by Singapore Airlines Group in its annual financial report.

Singapore Airlines Group owns a 25.1% stake in Air India, while the remaining shareholding is held by the Tata Group.

More details on the number of services being restored and the additional frequencies on individual international routes were not immediately available.