After widebody aircraft, Air India now reduces narrowbody flights

NEW DELHI: Air India has announced a temporary reduction of less than 5 per cent to its overall narrowbody network, following previous announcements of temporary reductions in its widebody international services by 15 per cent. The latest decision leads to the temporary suspension of Air India’s services on three routes and reduction of frequency on 19 routes.

The changes are effective until at least July 15, the airline said in a statement. These reductions are aimed at strengthening Air India’s network-wide operational stability and minimising last-minute inconvenience to passengers.

Despite these temporary reductions, Air India said it will continue to operate close to 600 daily flights with its narrowbody aircraft on 120 domestic and short-haul international routes.

In the statement, Air India apologised to the passengers affected by these curtailments and added it is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-accommodation on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling or full refunds as per their preferences.

“The revised schedule is being progressively made available on our website, airindia.com, mobile app and through our contact centre. We remain committed to restoring our full schedule as soon as practicable, while at all times prioritising the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft,” the airline added.

In other news, Air India on Sunday said that all its flights are currently avoiding certain airspaces over the Persian Gulf, amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.

An Air India spokesperson, in a statement, said the adjustment in route may lead to extended flight durations to destinations including the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait, besides some flights to/from Europe and North America.

“Amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region, Air India group confirms that our flights currently do not operate over the airspaces of Iran, Iraq and Israel,” the Air India spokesperson said.

As a proactive measure, Air India said it will be progressively avoiding the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days, opting instead for alternative paths for flights to destinations including the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.

“This adjustment may lead to extended flight durations for these services, as well as for select flights to/from Europe and North America. Air India is in continuous consultation with our external security advisors and is vigilantly monitoring the evolving situation, ready to implement additional measures, if required, to uphold the safety and integrity of our operations. We will keep our passengers informed of any updates. The safety and security of our passengers, staff, and aircraft remain our number one priority,” the Air India spokesperson added in the brief statement. (ANI)