Asia In News

Air India to Reduce Widebody International Flights by 15 Percent

Published On Thu, 19 Jun 2025
Veeranya Talekar
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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.


In a statement, the airline said that safety checks have been completed on 26 out of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and these have been cleared to return to service. The temporary flight reductions will remain in effect until at least mid-July to help stabilize operations, improve efficiency, and reduce passenger inconvenience, the airline owned by the Tata Group added.

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.


Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran stated earlier that the aircraft involved had no prior engine issues. Speaking to Times Now, he noted that the right engine was newly installed in March 2025, while the left engine was last serviced in 2023. The aircraft was equipped with GEnx engines from GE Aerospace.

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.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.