Air India to suspend Delhi-Washington flights from Sept 1
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New Delhi: Air India announced on Monday that it will suspend its Delhi-Washington, D.C. flights starting September 1, 2025, citing several operational challenges. The suspension is part of efforts to maintain the reliability and integrity of Air India’s overall route network amid a planned shortfall in its fleet.
The airline began retrofitting 26 Boeing 787-8 aircraft last month to significantly enhance customer experience. This extensive retrofit program requires multiple aircraft to be unavailable at any given time until at least the end of 2026. Additionally, the ongoing closure of Pakistani airspace is causing longer flight routes and increasing operational complexity, particularly impacting long-haul flights.
Air India said passengers with bookings on Delhi-Washington flights beyond September 1, 2025, will be contacted and offered alternative arrangements, including rebooking on other flights or full refunds according to their preferences.
Despite the suspension, Air India continues to offer one-stop flights to Washington, D.C. through New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago, and San Francisco via its interline partners Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. These arrangements allow customers to travel on a single itinerary with checked baggage through to the final destination.
The airline will also maintain non-stop services between India and six North American destinations, including Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
The announcement comes amid recent technical issues faced by Air India flights. On Monday, a technical snag delayed a flight arriving from Delhi at Raipur airport for about an hour, leaving approximately 160 passengers, including a sitting MLA, stranded inside the aircraft without immediate explanation.
On Sunday, an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, carrying several senior political leaders, made an emergency landing at Chennai airport due to a suspected radar malfunction. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to investigate both incidents.
With IANS inputs