Travellers between Australia and India are facing disruption as Air India temporarily reduces its direct services to Melbourne and Sydney from seven to five flights per week.
- Delhi–Melbourne/Sydney: 7x to 5x weekly
The move is part of a broader 15% cut to the airline’s wide-body operations across its long-haul network — including North America, Europe, and the Far East — due to enhanced safety checks on Boeing 777 aircraft and extended flight durations caused by Middle East and Pakistan airspace closures.
The flight reductions, effective from June 21 to at least July 15, 2025, coincide with the tail end of the Australian winter holiday travel season and are expected to affect a significant number of passengers.
Air India adds that it will also temporarily suspend several international routes, including flights between Amritsar and London Gatwick, Goa (Mopa) and London Gatwick, and Delhi and Nairobi, from Saturday, June 21 until at least July 15, 2025, as part of a sweeping 15% cut to its wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 operations.
- Delhi–Nairobi (AI961/962) – 4x weekly (suspended until 30 June)
- Amritsar–London Gatwick (AI169/170) – 3x weekly
- Goa (Mopa)–London Gatwick (AI145/146) – 3x weekly
Further, routes to North America have been among the hardest hit, with Delhi–San Francisco services dropping from 10 to 7 per week, Delhi–Toronto from 13 to 7, Delhi–Chicago from 7 to 3, and Delhi–Washington D.C. from 5 to 3. Air India, the largest operator of direct flights between India and North America, will continue to face intense pressure to maintain services with limited aircraft and increased crew demand.
- Delhi–Toronto: 13x to 7x weekly
- Delhi–Vancouver: 7x to 5x weekly
- Delhi–San Francisco: 10x to 7x weekly
- Delhi–Chicago: 7x to 3x weekly
- Delhi–Washington (Dulles): 5x to 3x weekly
European routes have also been trimmed. Flights between Delhi and London Heathrow will reduce from 24 to 22 weekly, Delhi–Paris from 14 to 12. Services to Tokyo, Seoul, Copenhagen, Vienna, and Amsterdam will also see reduced frequency.
- Delhi–London Heathrow: 24x to 22x weekly
- Bengaluru–London Heathrow: 7x to 6x weekly
- Delhi–Paris: 14x to 12x weekly
- Delhi–Milan: 7x to 4x weekly
- Delhi–Amsterdam: 7x to 5x weekly
- Amritsar & Delhi–Birmingham: 3x to 2x weekly
- Delhi–Copenhagen: 5x to 3x weekly
- Delhi–Vienna: 4x to 3x weekly
- Delhi–Tokyo (Haneda): 7x to 6x weekly
- Delhi–Seoul (Incheon): 3x weekly (21 June to 5 July) and 4x weekly (6 July to 15 July)
Air India acknowledged the inconvenience, stating, “These reductions arise from the decision to voluntarily undertake enhanced safety checks and accommodate longer flight durations due to airspace closures. The objective is to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute disruptions.”
Affected passengers are being offered rebooking on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling, or full refunds.
Travellers are advised to check their bookings and contact Air India for assistance.
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