Air India Announces Full Restoration of its International Network by October
The airline confirms its recovery timeline following the crash of a Boeing 787 in June, as safety audits on its fleet move forward.
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Air India plans the full restoration of its international flight schedule by October 1, 2025. This announcement follows a reduction in services implemented as a precautionary measure after the crash of one of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft earlier this summer.
On June 12, flight AI 171, operating from Ahmedabad (AMD) to London (LHR), suffered a catastrophic failure shortly after takeoff, crashing and resulting in the deaths of 242 occupants and 19 people on the ground. As a direct consequence, Air India suspended approximately 15% of its international services to conduct thorough safety inspections on its fleet.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the airline's CEO, Campbell Wilson, confirmed the phased restart plan. Wilson acknowledged the recent operational challenges that may have impacted the travel experience of passengers, assuring that the company "takes this seriously and is committed to strengthening our internal processes to minimise such inconvenience." He added that "this measured approach ensures we complete every verification thoroughly and resume service with complete confidence."
The network recovery is a critical step for the airline, which, under the ownership of the Tata Group, is driving a deep transformation plan called Vihaan.AI. The flight suspensions affected the company's image at a key moment in its expansion.
The decision to audit the fleet is also framed by previous concerns. In 2018, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an airworthiness directive regarding the potential for unintentional disengagement of fuel control switches on Dreamliner aircraft. Following the accident, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) mandated comprehensive safety audits for both Air India and IndiGo, the only two operators of the Boeing 787 in the country.
The Gradual Return of Routes
The resumption of services is already underway. Since August 1, Air India has restored several international routes to their full capacity. The service between Delhi (DEL) and Zurich (ZRH) increased to five weekly flights, and the Delhi – Tokyo Haneda (HND) route returned to its daily frequency.
Starting September 1, the connection between Delhi and Seoul Incheon (ICN) will operate five times a week. Furthermore, the Delhi – London Heathrow (LHR) route is already operating again with its pre-incident schedule of 24 weekly flights. As part of the reorganization, the airline launched a new three-times-weekly service between Ahmedabad (AMD) and London Heathrow, replacing its previous link to Gatwick.
The initial suspension, effective from June 21, impacted key routes:
Delhi – Nairobi (NBO): Temporarily suspended.
Amritsar (ATQ) – London Gatwick (LGW): Suspended.
Goa Mopa (GOX) – London Gatwick (LGW): Suspended.
Other intercontinental connections saw reductions, such as Delhi-Toronto (YYZ) to one daily flight, and Delhi-Chicago (ORD) and Delhi-Washington (IAD) to three weekly frequencies. The impact on narrowbody services was minor, with changes to less than 5% of its operations.
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