Air India To Restore Curtailed Flights From Sep 1, Add More International Frequencies In Winter Schedule

Air India is set to restore most of the flight services it had curtailed during July and August, beginning September 1, as the airline prepares to expand operations during the upcoming winter schedule.

According to an internal company memo, the airline will bring back several suspended and reduced services while also increasing flight frequencies on important international routes.

The move comes after Air India temporarily reduced its operations due to rising fuel prices and other operational pressures that affected its network planning.

The airline is expected to add additional frequencies on routes connecting India with major global destinations, including Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, Melbourne, Tokyo and New York.

Air India Reduced Operations Due To Rising Costs

Air India had announced a temporary reduction in its international operations earlier this year after facing increased fuel expenses. The airline had cut nearly 100 international flights between June and August, reducing its international capacity by up to 27%.

During the same period, the carrier suspended services on several routes, including Delhi-Chicago, Delhi-Newark, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dhaka and Delhi-Male.

The airline later implemented reductions in domestic operations as well. Sources indicated that domestic services were reduced by around 20-22% during July and August.

With Air India operating nearly 3,600 domestic flights every week, the cut resulted in the suspension of more than 790 weekly flights at the higher end of the reduction range.

At the time, Air India said the adjustments were necessary due to the continued impact of elevated fuel prices on its operations.

The airline had assured passengers affected by the schedule changes that they would receive alternative travel arrangements, complimentary date changes or refunds, depending on eligibility.

Airline Looks To Expand As Conditions Improve

Air India had earlier stated that it would continue monitoring passenger demand and operational conditions before restoring flight frequencies.

The restoration of services indicates that the airline expects operating conditions to improve and demand to remain strong during the upcoming travel season.

However, the carrier continues to face financial pressure due to high operating costs. According to figures released by Singapore Airlines Group in its annual financial report, Air India recorded a loss of more than SGD 3.56 billion, equivalent to over ₹26,700 crore, during the financial year ended March 2026.