Amid the Middle East conflict, owing to rising fuel costs and airspace restrictions, Air India has announced the suspension and reduction of frequencies on 29 international routes. The decision will hold effective from June to August this year.

About these temporary changes, Air India said that they meant to improve operational stability and reduce last-minute inconvenience to passengers, resulting from frequent disruptions on account of the Iran war crisis and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The adjustments have been made in response to a combination of factors, including continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record high jet fuel prices for international operations, which significantly impact the commercial viability of certain planned services,” Air India said in a statement.

The airline confirmed that in spite of the cuts, it would continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights per month across five continents.

“Despite the challenges and beyond these adjustments, Air India will continue to operate more than 1200 international flights every month, retaining a robust international network that spans five continents, including 33 flights per week to North America, 47 flights per week to Europe, 57 flights per week to the UK, 08 flights per week to Australia, 158 flights per week to the Far East, Southeast Asia and SAARC regions, and 07 flights per week to Mauritius (Africa),” the statement revealed.

In the last financial year, Air India is estimated to have suffered losses exceeding Rs. 22,000 crore.

It is to be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the people of India must postpone non-essential foreign travel and take up work-from-home to help conserve foreign exchange.

Airline experts say that the soaring crude oil prices and high operating costs because of rerouted flights, avoiding conflict zones, have proved to be big challenges for Air India and other carriers. – editor@nrifocus.com