As the holiday season heats up, Air India, owned by Tata Group, announced the cancellation of approximately 60 flights on its India-US routes through November and December. The move, prompted by aircraft shortages, impacts flights bound for major US cities, including San Francisco and Chicago, sources revealed to PTI.
In an official statement, Air India cited delays in the return of several aircraft from heavy maintenance, alongside supply chain issues, as the primary reasons for these cancellations. The airline refrained from specifying which routes were affected but assured that customers impacted by the cancellations have been notified and offered alternative flights on other Air India services operating on nearby dates.
“Due to a temporary reduction in operating fleet, Air India regrets that a limited number of flights have been canceled between now and the end of December,” an Air India spokesperson stated, attributing the cancellations to delays from maintenance and technical issues affecting several of the airline’s wide-body aircraft.
Breakdown of Canceled Flights
According to sources, the specific cancellations include:
– Delhi to Chicago: 14 flights
– Delhi to Washington, D.C.: 28 flights
– Delhi to San Francisco: 12 flights
– Mumbai to New York (JFK): 4 flights
– Delhi to Newark: 2 flights
Due to these cancellations, many routes with typically daily or frequent services have had significant adjustments. For example, Air India typically operates five flights per week between Delhi and Washington, as well as seven weekly flights on the Delhi-Chicago and Delhi-New York routes.
The airline operates a robust schedule to San Francisco from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, offering a total of 11 flights per week on the Delhi-SFO route alone. Other cities, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, each have four flights per week to San Francisco. Newark receives three weekly flights from Delhi and Mumbai, which have also been affected by the recent aircraft shortages.
Causes of Aircraft Shortage
The cancellations stem from prolonged maintenance times, coupled with supply chain delays, which have disrupted Air India’s fleet availability. Technical issues with several wide-body planes have compounded the problem, leaving the airline temporarily unable to meet demand.
As Air India continues to manage its fleet constraints, affected passengers have been offered alternative travel arrangements on other flights within the Air India Group. The airline continues to work toward stabilizing its fleet in response to the increased travel demands over the festive season.
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