Air India cancels around 60 US flights

MUMBAI: The Tata Group-owned Air India continues to struggle with its fleet. In the latest development, the carrier has cancelled around 60 flights between India and the United States scheduled for November and December. The curtailment of operations is owing to the maintenance of wide-body aircraft and supply chain constraints.
During the two winter months, a peak season for people to travel between the two nations during Christmas holidays, the flights to and from New York, Newark, Washington, San Francisco and Chicago will be affected. In India, these are operated in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said, ‘Due to the delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints resulting in a temporary reduction in operating fleet, Air India regrets that a small number of flights have been cancelled between now and end-December. Affected customers have been informed and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days, a free change to any other date or a full refund. Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused by this constraint beyond our control.’
The reduction in the number of flights operated between the two countries may have an impact on air fares as the peak season commences.
At present, Air India has 28 narrow-body and wide-body aircraft for passenger and cargo services. It had placed an order with Airbus and Boeing for new aircraft to replace its ageing fleet. The wide-body order involves 20 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s from Airbus. Its Boeing aircraft order includes 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 10 Boeing 777X.
Apart from international routes, Air India has also been either cancelling or rescheduling some domestic flights for operational reasons. It expects a turnaround in operations once the new aircraft get inducted and the fleet strength improves. However, this is expected only in 2025.