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India’s second-largest airline cuts international flights amid record-high jet fuel prices

Sandy Verma | May 14, 2026 10:24 PM CST

An Air India aircraft flies low as it prepares to land in Mumbai, India on Oct. 22, 2025. Photo by Reuters

Air India, India’s second largest airline by passenger volume after Indigo, will temporarily cut flights on several international routes between June and August, it said on Wednesday, citing airspace restrictions in some regions and record-high jet fuel prices.

The Iran war has triggered airspace closures, forced longer reroutings and driven a sharp rise in global fuel costs, adding pressure on airlines operating around the world.

Air India, in which Singapore Airlines holds a roughly 25% stake with the rest owned by Tata Sons, is grappling with mounting losses and operational disruptions linked to the conflict, which have significantly increased expenses and compounded the effects of Pakistan’s airspace ban.

Islamabad banned Indian carriers from its airspace last year amid military tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

New Zealander Campbell Wilson resigned as Air India’s CEO in April amid persistent losses and regulatory scrutiny.

Singapore Airlines executive Vinod Kannan and Air India’s commercial head Nipun Aggarwal are the frontrunners to succeed him, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Air India will temporarily suspend flights on the Delhi-Chicago and Mumbai-New York routes. In Europe, it will reduce the frequency of services from Delhi to Paris, Milan and Rome.

In Asia, services between Delhi and Shanghai have been suspended.

The airline said it will continue to operate over 1,200 international flights every month and would work to restore its full operations when circumstances allow. But it added that further adjustments to its network were possible if disruptions persist.