Air India to cut international widebody flights by 15 pc till mid-July

Mumbai, Jun 18 (PTI) Air India on Wednesday announced a 15 per cent reduction in international flights operated with widebody planes till mid-July as the Tata Group-owned airline grapples with operational disruptions due to enhanced safety inspections and Iranian airspace closure.

In the wake of the fatal crash of the London Gatwick-bound Boeing 787-8 plane soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, the carrier has witnessed international flight disruptions, especially with the ongoing safety checks of B787-8/9 aircraft.

The airline also apologised to passengers who will be impacted by the temporary curtailment of overseas flights.

Besides, the carrier will carry out enhanced safety checks for Boeing 777 planes as a matter of added precaution.

The airline has recently seen operational disruptions, with at least 83 international flights cancelled over the last six days.

In a late evening statement, Air India said there have been disruptions due to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, night curfew in the airspaces of many countries in Europe and East Asia and the ongoing enhanced safety inspections.

The airline also said necessary cautious approach is being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots.

"Given the compounding circumstances that Air India is facing, to ensure stability of our operations, better efficiency and to minimise inconvenience to passengers, Air India has decided to reduce its international services on widebody aircraft by 15 per cent for the next few weeks," the statement said.

Details about the exact number of flights that will be impacted could not be immediately ascertained.

On June 12, the airline was scheduled to operate 90 flights with widebody planes.

Air India operates three widebody aircraft -- Boeing 787-8/9, Boeing 777 and A350.

According to the airline, the cuts will be implemented between "now and 20 June" and will continue thereafter until at least mid-July.

"This effectively adds to our reserve aircraft availability to take care of any unplanned disruptions," it added.

Apologising to the passengers affected by the curtailments, the airline said it will inform them in advance and make its best efforts to accommodate them on alternate flights.

Passengers will be offered a choice to reschedule their travel without any cost or a full refund.

"With the continued support of our passengers, the regulatory authorities, Ministry of Civil Aviation and India at large, we will come out stronger through this tragic incident and re-establish the confidence of our passengers and all stakeholders in our services, at the earliest," it said.

Air India emphasised that the curtailments are a painful measure to take but are necessary following a devastating event "which we are still working through" and an unusual combination of external events.

"It is done to restore operational stability, and to minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers," the statement said.

Air India and Air India Express operate over 1,000 flights daily.

Air India also said the investigating authorities are continuing their efforts to find out the reasons for the aircraft accident.

On June 13, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered enhanced safety inspections of Air India's Boeing 787-8/9 planes in the wake of the Ahmedabad crash.

"Out of total 33 aircraft, inspections have now been completed on 26 and these have been cleared for service, while inspection of the remainder will be complete in the coming days," the airline said.

Earlier in the day, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran apologised for the plane crash. PTI