Air India cuts international flights amid Middle East conflict

The Iran ⁠war has triggered airspace closures, forced longer reroutings and driven a sharp rise in global fuel costs, ‌adding pressure on airlines

By Reuters Published: 2026-05-13T15:42:00+04:00 1 min read
Branding for Air India is seen on an Airbus A350-900 at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
Branding for Air India is seen on an Airbus A350-900 at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Bengaluru: Air India will temporarily cut ‌flights ​on several international routes between June and August, it said on Wednesday, citing airspace restrictions in some regions and record-high jet fuel prices.

The Iran ⁠war has triggered airspace closures, forced longer reroutings and driven a sharp rise in global fuel costs, ‌adding pressure on airlines operating around the world.

Air India is grappling with mounting ‌losses and operational disruptions linked to the ‌conflict, which have significantly increased expenses ‌and compounded the ‌effects of Pakistan's airspace ban.

Islamabad banned Indian carriers from ​its airspace ‌last ​year amid military tension between ⁠the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Air India will temporarily suspend flights on the Delhi-Chicago and ​Mumbai-New ⁠York ⁠routes. In Europe, it will reduce the frequency of services from Delhi to ⁠Paris, Milan and Rome.

In Asia, services between Delhi and Shanghai have been suspended.

The airline said it will continue to operate over 1,200 international flights every month ‌and would work to restore its full operations when ​circumstances allow. But it added that further adjustments to its network were possible if disruptions persist.