Air India has announced the phased resumption of its international operations following a “Safety Pause” that was implemented in the wake of the fatal crash of flight AI171 on June 12.
The airline had temporarily suspended or reduced services on multiple routes to conduct safety inspections on its Boeing 787 aircraft and to adjust to longer flight routes due to ongoing regional airspace restrictions.
In a statement on Tuesday, Air India confirmed that partial services will resume from August 1, with full restoration expected by October 1. Five key routes will see services reinstated or expanded as part of the first phase of recovery.
Key Restorations:
- Delhi–London (Heathrow): Fully restored to 24 weekly flights from July 16
- Delhi–Zurich: Increased from 4 to 5 weekly flights starting August 1
- Delhi–Tokyo (Haneda): Full frequency to return by August
- Delhi–Seoul (Incheon): Full service to resume by September
- Delhi–Amsterdam: Restored to 7 weekly flights from August 1
Additionally, a new route between Ahmedabad and London (Heathrow) will launch with three weekly flights, replacing the current five-times-weekly service to Gatwick. Meanwhile, Delhi–Nairobi will continue three times weekly until August 31, after which it will be suspended for the month of September.
Despite the partial restoration, several routes will continue at reduced frequencies until at least the end of September:
- Bengaluru–London (Heathrow): Down to 4x weekly from August 1
- Delhi–Paris: Reduced from 12x to 7x weekly from August 1
- Delhi–Milan, Copenhagen, Vienna: Reduced to 3x weekly
- Amritsar–Birmingham: Reduced to 2x weekly until August 31; resumes 3x in September
- Delhi–Birmingham: Remains at 2x weekly
Routes to North American cities such as Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, New York (JFK and Newark) remain at reduced frequencies (3–7 weekly). Flights to Melbourne and Sydney will continue at 5x weekly.
Suspended Routes (Until Sept 30):
- Amritsar–London (Gatwick)
- Goa (Mopa)–London (Gatwick)
- Bengaluru–Singapore
- Pune–Singapore
Air India is reaching out to affected passengers, offering rebooking options or full refunds, and apologized for the inconvenience. The airline emphasized that while some schedule cuts will extend through September, it will still operate over 525 international flights per week across 63 global destinations during the restoration period.
This phased recovery marks a significant step in Air India’s efforts to resume full-scale operations while prioritizing passenger safety and regulatory compliance.
