Air India Trims India-US Flights as War-Driven Fuel Costs Soar

Bay Area Editor
Last Updated on May 14, 2026

Air India will suspend or scale back several international routes for three months as soaring fuel costs and war-related airspace closures squeeze its long-haul operations.

The carrier said it will halt flights to Chicago, Shanghai, Male and Singapore from cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai between June and August, while trimming frequencies to San Francisco, Paris, Milan and Sydney. The moves follow a sharp jump in global jet fuel prices since the war in Iran disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up operating costs and ticket fares worldwide.

Air India said these pressures have significantly undermined the commercial viability of some routes but stressed it will still run more than 1,200 international flights each month.The cuts mark another setback for the Tata owned airline, which is pursuing a major turnaround plan but continues to battle war related airspace detours, aircraft delivery delays and the reputational shadow of the deadly 2025 crash of Flight 171.

Recent Posts