Asia In News
Air India to Reduce Widebody International Flights by 15 Percent

Air India announced on Wednesday (June 18) that it will temporarily reduce its international widebody aircraft operations by 15% over the coming weeks. The decision follows continued safety inspections and operational disruptions stemming from last week’s fatal crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The crash of flight AI171, which resulted in 241 fatalities, is now under investigation and is considered the deadliest aviation accident globally in the past decade.
The remaining Dreamliners are scheduled for inspection in the coming days, and Air India noted that its Boeing 777 fleet will also undergo further checks.
Flight AI171 was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport when it crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad, leaving only one survivor and causing casualties on the ground.
In addition to the crash-related disruptions, the airline pointed to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and night-time curfews in parts of Europe and East Asia as contributing to flight cancellations 83 in total over the past six days.