Air India begins phased restoration of international operations, full resumption by October 1: CEO Campbell Wilson

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Wednesday said that the airline has begun the phased restoration of international operations from August 1 and has targeted full resumption for October 1.

“This measured approach ensures we complete every verification thoroughly and resume service with complete confidence. I acknowledge that there have been some operational challenges over the last few weeks that may have impacted your travel experience. Rest assured, we take this seriously and we are committed to strengthening our internal processes to minimise the inconvenience that such circumstances cause to you,” Wilson said.

Air India international flights

A total of five routes will see reinstated services or increased frequencies. Key changes include Delhi-London (Heathrow) – Full 24 weekly flights restored starting July 16, Delhi-Zurich – Increased from 4 to 5 flights per week from August 1, Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda) and Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) – Full weekly frequencies to be reinstated by August and September, respectively and Delhi-Amsterdam – has returned to seven flights per week from August 1.

A new route between Ahmedabad and London (Heathrow) will operate three times weekly, replacing the current five-times-weekly Gatwick service. Additionally, Delhi-Nairobi services will operate three times a week until August 31, to be suspended from 1-30 September.

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Despite the partial restoration, over 15 routes will continue to operate at reduced frequencies until at least the end of September. These include:

The flights between Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) remains reduced from 7x weekly to 6x weekly; will further reduce to 4x weekly, effective August 1. The Delhi-Paris flight will cut to 7x weekly from 12x, starting August 1.

The Delhi-Milan flight will be reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly, effective 16 July while the Delhi-Copenhagen remains reduced from 5x weekly to 3x weekly.

The Delhi-Vienna flight remains reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly and Amritsar-Birmingham remains reduced from 3x weekly to 2x weekly until 31 August; to operate 3x weekly, effective September 1.

The flight between Delhi-Birmingham remains reduced from 3x weekly to 2x weekly.

North American destinations such as Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, New York (JFK and Newark) remain reduced, with frequencies ranging from 3 to 7 flights per week.

The flights between Delhi-Melbourne and Delhi-Sydney continue at 5x weekly.

The four international routes remain suspended until September 30, which includes flights between Amritsar-London (Gatwick), Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick), Bengaluru-Singapore and Pune-Singapore.

International services reduced following Ahmedabad crash

On June 18, Air India said it would reduce its international services operated by widebody aircraft by 15%, as part of a broader effort to stabilise operations and prioritise safety in the wake of the Ahmedabad crash of flight AI171.

“This decision has been taken to ensure stability of our operations, improve efficiency, and minimise inconvenience to passengers,” the airline said in a statement on June 18, 2025. Over the last six days, Air India has cancelled 83 international flights due to the compounding operational constraints.

Passengers affected by the reduced flight schedule were offered alternative travel options, including rebooking at no additional cost or a full refund.

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