Air India to suspend Delhi-Washington DC services

According to Air India, the suspension will take effect from September 1
| Photo Credit:
AMIT DAVE

Tata Group-backed Air India will suspend services between Delhi and Washington DC from next month due to a shortfall in widebody aircraft availability, along with the continued closure of airspace over Pakistan.

According to Air India, the suspension will take effect from September 1. The airline said that it is primarily driven by the planned shortfall in fleet, as Air India has commenced retrofitting 26 of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft last month.

“This extensive retrofit programme, aimed at significantly enhancing customer experience, necessitates a prolonged unavailability of multiple aircraft at any given time until at least the end of 2026,” the airline said.

“That, coupled with the continued closure of airspace over Pakistan, impacts the airline’s long-haul operations, leading to longer flight routings and increased operational complexity.”

According to Air India, passengers with bookings to or from Washington DC beyond September 1 will be contacted and offered alternative travel arrangements, including rebooking on other flights or full refunds, as per their “individual preferences”.

Besides, the airline cited that its passengers will continue to have the options of one-stop flights to Washington DC via four US gateways – New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago, and San Francisco – with the airline’s interline partners, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

“Air India will continue to operate non-stop flights between India and six destinations in North America, including Toronto and Vancouver in Canada,” the airline added.

Meanwhile, Air India has started a phase wise restoration of its international schedule from August 1, 2025, following the “Safety Pause” triggered by the June 12 crash of Flight AI171.

The airline had scaled back operations to conduct precautionary checks on its Boeing 787 fleet.

In addition, the Safety Pause aided Air India in adapting schedules that incorporated extended flying times due to ongoing airspace closures over Pakistan and some parts of West Asia.

Published on August 11, 2025

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