Air India announces phased resumption after ‘safety pause’ triggered by Ahmedabad plane crash

The tragic Ahmedabad flight AI171 crash on June 12 led Air India to take a ‘safety pause’ to run checks on its Boeing 787 fleet. On Tuesday (July 15), the airline said they are prepared to restore schedules. The notice comes amid the ongoing investigation into the crash, which suggests the fuel was cut off. These are initial findings, the probe is not complete, and the final report will be released in due course.

The statement read, “Air India today announced the partial restoration of schedules that were reduced pursuant to its “Safety Pause”, taken following the tragic accident of AI171 onJune 12. That Pause enabled Air India to perform additional precautionary checks on its Boeing 787 aircraft as well as accommodating longer flying times arising from airspace closures over Pakistan and the Middle East.

It added, “The partial resumption will see restoration of some frequencies fromAugust 1, relative to July, with full restoration planned fromOctober 1.”

Airline releases information on New Route:

• From 01 August to 30 September, Air India will operate 3x weekly flights between Ahmedabad and London (Heathrow), replacing currently operating 5x weekly flights between Ahmedabad and London (Gatwick)

Flights reinstated/frequencies increased

Europe

• Delhi-London (Heathrow): Reinstated two weekly flights previously curtailed, with all 24x weekly flights operating from 16 July onwards
• Delhi-Zurich: Increased from 4x weekly to 5x weekly, effective 01 August

Far-East

• Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda): Reinstated two weekly flights previously curtailed, with all 7x weekly flights operating from 01 August onwards
• Delhi-Seoul (Incheon): Reinstated two weekly flights previously curtailed, with all 5x weekly flights reinstated from 01 September onwards

Routes to see reduction or changed frequency until September 30

Europe

• Bengaluru-London (Heathrow): Remains reduced from 7x weekly to 6x weekly; will further reduce to 4x weekly, effective 01 August 2025
• Amritsar-Birmingham: Remains reduced from 3x weekly to 2x weekly until 31 August; to operate 3x weekly, effective 01 September
• Delhi-Birmingham: Remains reduced from 3x weekly to 2x weekly
• Delhi-Paris: Reduced from 12x weekly to 7x weekly, effective 01 August
• Delhi-Milan: Reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly, effective 16 July
• Delhi-Copenhagen: Remains reduced from 5x weekly to 3x weekly
• Delhi-Vienna: Remains reduced from 4x weekly to 3x weekly
• Delhi-Amsterdam: Remains reduced from 7x weekly to 5x weekly; to resume 7x weekly, effective 01 August

North America

• Delhi-Washington (Dulles): Remains reduced from 5x weekly to 3x weekly
• Delhi-Chicago: Remains reduced from 7x weekly to 3x weekly (to operate 4x weekly in August)
• Delhi-San Francisco: Remains reduced from 10x weekly to 7x weekly
• Delhi-Toronto: Remains reduced from 13x weekly to 7x weekly
• Delhi-Vancouver: Remains reduced from 7x weekly to 4x weekly
• Delhi-New York (JFK): Reduced from 7x weekly to 6x weekly, effective 16 July
• Mumbai-New York (JFK): Reduced from 7x weekly to 6x weekly, effective 01 August
• Delhi-New York (Newark Liberty): Reduced from 5x weekly to 4x weekly, effective 16 July

Australia

• Delhi-Melbourne: Remains reduced from 7x weekly to 5x weekly
• Delhi-Sydney: Remains reduced from 7x weekly to 5x weekly

Africa

• Delhi-Nairobi: Reinstated services, operating 3x weekly until 31 August; to be suspended from 01-30 September

Temporary suspension until September 30

• Amritsar-London (Gatwick) (AI169/170): 3x weekly flights
• Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) (AI145/146): 3x weekly flights
• Bengaluru-Singapore (AI2392/2393): 7x weekly flights
• Pune-Singapore (AI2111/2110): 5x weekly flights