Air India believes the worst of its operational disruptions is behind it, with the airline planning to restore most of the capacity it had temporarily withdrawn over the past few months, starting from September 2026 onwards. At the same time, the Tata Group carrier says it remains committed to its long-term expansion strategy, despite continuing aircraft shortages, delivery delays and financial headwinds.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) event, Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal said that the airline has already put most of its September schedule on sale, signalling a return towards normal operations after a difficult summer.
Air India’s difficult summer may finally be ending
The past few months have arguably been among the most challenging for Air India since its privatisation.
The airline had to deal with a combination of operational disruptions that occurred roughly at the same time. Pakistan’s continued closure of its airspace forced longer routings to Europe and North America, increasing flight times and operating costs. At the same time, tensions in West Asia led to periodic airspace restrictions, while aircraft availability remained constrained due to fleet retrofits, supply chain delays, and slower-than-expected deliveries from Airbus and Boeing.
On top of these issues came the additional operational reviews following the AI171 accident, prompting Air India to trim schedules and build additional resilience into its network.
At one stage, the airline had reduced its domestic capacity by around 10-15% and made significant cuts to parts of its international network. DGCA data also showed a noticeable decline in both domestic and international departures during April and May compared to the previous year.
Most services expected back from September
The good news for passengers is that the airline now expects those reductions to be largely temporary. According to Aggarwal, flights operating from September onwards have largely remained available for sale throughout, indicating that Air India expects to operate a much more normal schedule as aircraft gradually return to service.
While not every route will return immediately, the bulk of suspended flying is expected to be restored once current operational constraints ease. Some long-haul routes, however, will continue to face challenges. Flights to Chicago and Washington, D.C. remain affected by the shortage of available widebody aircraft, particularly as several Boeing 777s continue to undergo refurbishment and deliveries of newer aircraft remain delayed.
Expansion plans remain firmly intact
Perhaps the more interesting takeaway from Aggarwal’s comments was that Air India has no intention of slowing down its long-term growth strategy. Despite reports of mounting financial losses and rising operating costs, the airline says its transformation roadmap remains unchanged.
Air India intends to continue adding destinations, increasing frequencies on existing routes and significantly expanding its international footprint over the coming years. Aggarwal reiterated that the airline’s objective is to build global connectivity directly from India, while doubling capacity over the next five years.
That ambition continues to be supported by one of the largest aircraft order books in aviation history. Across its two landmark orders placed in 2023 and 2024, Air India has committed to acquiring 770 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft, although deliveries continue to arrive much more slowly than originally anticipated.
Fleet modernisation continues in parallel
The airline’s ongoing fleet retrofit programme also remains a major part of the transformation story. Several legacy Boeing 777s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners continue to undergo heavy cabin refurbishments, temporarily taking them out of service. While these retrofits reduce available capacity in the short term, they are expected to significantly improve the onboard experience once completed, bringing the older fleet closer to the standards already seen on Air India’s Airbus A350-900s and new Boeing 787-9s.
The combination of retrofit downtime, delayed aircraft deliveries and geopolitical disruptions has made fleet planning particularly complex over the past few months, but Air India appears confident that capacity will progressively improve as more aircraft become available.
Bottomline
After several months of schedule reductions, cancellations and operational uncertainty, Air India appears to have a clearer path towards stability. Most of the temporary capacity cuts are expected to be restored from September 2026, provided there are no fresh geopolitical disruptions or unexpected fleet issues.
Perhaps more importantly, the airline has made it clear that these short-term disruptions have not altered its long-term ambitions. Air India continues to pursue one of the aviation industry’s most ambitious expansion plans, even as it works through aircraft shortages, retrofit programmes and global supply-chain challenges. For passengers, that should translate into a more reliable schedule in the months ahead, followed by continued network growth as additional aircraft join the fleet.
With the fits and starts, how quickly do you think Air India will go back to being a force in Indian aviation?
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