Air India to cut international flights on widebody aircraft by 15%

Air India said connected Wednesday it volition chopped planetary operations connected its widebody aircraft by 15% for the adjacent fewer weeks, citing ongoing information inspections and operational disruptions pursuing past week's deadly crash of 1 of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Authorities proceed to analyse the clang of formation AI171, which killed 241 radical and marked the world's deadliest aviation catastrophe successful a decade.

The airline said in a connection that inspections had been completed connected 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service.

The cuts, effectual until astatine slightest mid-July, were being implemented "to guarantee stableness of operations, amended ratio and minimize inconvenience to passengers," the Tata Group-owned airline said.

The remaining planes volition beryllium checked successful the coming days and further checks are besides planned for its Boeing 777 fleet, Air India added.

Flight AI171, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed soon aft takeoff from Ahmedabad, sidesplitting each but 1 connected committee and astir 30 radical connected the ground.

Earlier connected Wednesday, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the formation that crashed had a cleanable motor history.

In an interrogation with Indian broadcaster Times Now, Chandrasekaran said Air India flight 171's close motor was caller and installed successful March 2025, and that the near motor was past serviced successful 2023.

The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GEnx engines.

Air India also cited geopolitical tensions successful the Middle East and "night curfews successful galore European and East Asian airspaces" arsenic contributing factors down formation cancellations, which person totaled 83 implicit the past six days.