Air India makes deep cuts to international flight network June 2026 onwards; Singapore, US, China, Australia and Canada see many cuts

This has nothing to do with the Indian Prime Minister’s clarion call to cut down International Travel, which he made earlier this week. This is more the impact of the huge surge in oil prices, and consequently ATF (Jetfuel) prices, which have risen to over twice the usual price (for international travel) as of April 2026 compared to February 2026.

Air India cuts international network to protect bottom line

Air India has been discussing cost-cutting measures since the beginning of the month amid multiple challenges. First of all, the price of jet fuel doubled, or even more. Airlines were given relief for domestic flights, but for international operations, they pay the same price as other airlines, in line with international prices. Second, Air India is the largest airline out of India, operating the larger widebody fleet, in comparison to IndiGo. Third, Air India (and IndiGo) already face the challenge of navigating the Pakistan airspace blockade, which causes Indian-registered airlines and aircraft to skirt Pakistan, adding time and fuel costs when flying around Delhi.

Air India has already filed these changes and made cuts, but there is no media statement. Here are the changes that are coming into force, courtesy of AeroRoutes. Let’s have a deep dive into what stays and what goes. The reporting was confirmed by Air India via a media statement.

Air India to North America has been mostly eliminated

The North American network of Air India will see considerable cancellations. Air India is essentially just holding on to the Delhi-to-New York JFK flight and cancelling others. For instance, Chicago is being cut to zero through October 2026, and the Newark operation is being cut through the summer season (peak travel season). Flights to San Francisco from Delhi will be reduced to one per day (flights from Bangalore were already removed). From Mumbi, flights to JFK are going away. Flights to Vancouver and Toronto are also reduced.

• Delhi – Chicago O’Hare 01JUN26 – 31OCT26 4 weekly service cancelled (Delhi departure via Vienna)
• Delhi – Newark 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 4 weekly service cancelled (Delhi departure via Rome)
• Delhi – San Francisco Reduction from 10 to 7 weekly, extended to 31AUG26, instead of 31MAY26 (Service operating via Kolkata in both directions)
• Mumbai – New York JFK 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 6 weekly service cancelled (Mumbai departure via Rome)
• Mumbai – Newark 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 increases to daily service.
• Delhi – Vancouver Service reductions from 7 to 5 weekly, extended to 31AUG26, instead of 31MAY26 (Delhi departure via Kolkata)
• Delhi – Toronto 01JUN26 – 31JUL26 Reduce from 10 to 5 weekly (Delhi departure via Vienna). Returns to Daily in AUG26

Some of the other flights, such as those to Washington, DC, had already been cut in the earlier round of cutbacks.

Air India to Europe sustains deep cuts

Air India’s service to Europe, which largely operates on Boeing 787s, will also be reduced. We know this is not just the oil situation but also Air India’s 787-8 airframes, which are heading to California for refurbishment one by one (three in the US for now). Most markets are seeing frequency cuts, and Paris flights are being cut from double daily to one a day. However, London Heathrow has been protected so far.

• Delhi – Copenhagen 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 4 to 3 weekly
• Delhi – Milan Malpensa 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 5 to 4 weekly
• Delhi – Paris Charles de Gaulle 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 2 to 1 daily
• Delhi – Rome Fiumicino 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 4 to 3 weekly
• Delhi – Vienna 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 4 to 3 weekly
• Delhi – Zurich 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 4 to 3 weekly

Air India to Australia sees frequency cuts

Air India to Australia, which operates on the back of the 787s are also seeing cuts. For instance, flights to Melbourne are being reduced to 4 per week (instead of the previously planned increase in frequency), and similarly for Sydney.

• Delhi – Melbourne Reduce from 5 weekly (7 weekly from 01JUL26) to 4 weekly until 31AUG26 (Previous: Reduce from 7 to 5 weekly 01MAY26 – 30JUN26)
• Delhi – Sydney Reduce from 5 weekly (7 weekly from 01JUL26) to 4 weekly until 31AUG26 (Previous: Reduce from 7 to 5 weekly 04MAY26 – 30JUN26)

Air India to South East Asia sees reductions

What has massively declined is Air India’s service to Singapore. Air India has removed flights from Chennai and Mumbai, keeping only 4 flights per week (down from 24) during July 2026.

• Chennai – Singapore 01JUN26 – 30AUG26 2 daily service cancelled
• Delhi – Singapore 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 24 weekly reduced from 24 to 14 weekly
• Mumbai – Singapore 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 14 weekly reduced from 14 to 7 weekly

Bangkok has seen cuts, but the airline continues to operate a daily frequency to Bangkok from Delhi and Mumbai.

• Delhi – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 4 to 3 daily
• Mumbai – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 13 to 7 weekly

Kuala Lumpur has also seen capacity being halved.

• Delhi – Kuala Lumpur 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 10 to 5 weekly

Air India Regional flights see significant cuts

China was eliminated after a very recent restart.

• Delhi – Shanghai Pu Dong 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 5 weekly service cancelled

Flights to SAARC destinations also see reductions. These flights can’t be cut, as long as Air India wants to offer connections to its long-haul network.

• Delhi – Colombo 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 14 to 13 weekly (Service in July already listed as 13 weekly)
• Delhi – Kathmandu 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 6 to 4 daily (3 daily from 01JUL26)
• Delhi – Male 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 1 daily service cancelled
• Mumbai – Colombo 01JUN26 – 31AUG26 Reduce from 7 to 4 weekly
• Mumbai – Dhaka Service cancellation extends to 31AUG26, instead of 30JUN26 (Previously not reported, AI cancelled this route between 29MAR26 and 30JUN26)

And let us not forget the on-again, off-again Israel flights.

• Delhi – Tel Aviv Service tentatively resumes on 01JUL26 at the earliest, instead of 01JUN26

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, including 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).

Bottomline

Air India is cutting back on a ton of flights from its international network as the airline fights multiple battles on multiple fronts, including fleet renewal, skyrocketing jet fuel prices, geopolitical lockdowns, and a deep loss on the books already. All of this has forced Air India to reduce frequency across the region and to many key international ports. And some airports will have to live without Air India flights altogether in the coming months.

What do you make of the deep route cuts at Air India?

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