Air India begins phased resumption of international flights after AI171 crash; Heathrow to replace Gatwick on Ahmedabad-London route
New Delhi: Air India has begun a phased restoration of its international schedule following the deadly crash of flight AI171 on June 12.
The airline had undertaken a “safety pause” after the tragedy, which killed 260 people, and had suspended or reduced several flights to carry out additional checks on its Boeing 787 aircraft and to adjust for longer flying times caused by airspace closures over Pakistan and the Middle East.
"Air India today announced the partial restoration of schedules that were reduced pursuant to its 'Safety Pause', taken following the tragic accident of AI171 on 12 June 2025. 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," the airline said.
"The partial resumption will see restoration of some frequencies from 1 August, relative to July, with full restoration planned from 1 October 2025," it added.
A key change in the interim schedule is the new Ahmedabad-London Heathrow service, which will operate three times a week from August 1 to September 30, replacing the existing five-times-weekly Ahmedabad-Gatwick route.
The AI171 crash, which triggered the operational halt, involved a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, hitting a medical college hostel.
The crash killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.
According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), fuel switches to the engines were cut off within a one-second gap shortly after takeoff, creating cockpit confusion moments before the crash.
Resumed and Increased Frequencies:
Europe:
Delhi-London (Heathrow): Full 24 weekly flights reinstated from July 16
Delhi-Zurich: Increased from 4 to 5 weekly flights from August 1
Far East:
Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda): Restored to daily from August 1
Delhi-Seoul (Incheon): Restored to 5 weekly flights from September 1
Africa:
Delhi-Nairobi: 3x weekly until August 31; to be suspended for September
Continued Reductions Until September 30:
Europe:
Bengaluru-London (Heathrow): 6x weekly now, to reduce to 4x weekly from August 1
Amritsar-Birmingham: 2x weekly until August 31; will go back to 3x weekly from September 1
Delhi-Birmingham: Remains at 2x weekly
Delhi-Paris: Cut from 12x to 7x weekly from August 1
Delhi-Milan: Reduced to 3x weekly from July 16
Delhi-Copenhagen: Continues at 3x weekly
Delhi-Vienna: Continues at 3x weekly
Delhi-Amsterdam: Currently 5x weekly; daily service resumes August 1
North America:
Delhi-Washington (Dulles): Remains at 3x weekly
Delhi-Chicago: Cut to 3x weekly; will operate 4x weekly in August
Delhi-San Francisco: Remains at 7x weekly
Delhi-Toronto: Operating 7x weekly (down from 13x)
Delhi-Vancouver: Cut to 4x weekly
Delhi-New York (JFK): Reduced to 6x weekly from July 16
Mumbai-New York (JFK): Reduced to 6x weekly from August 1
Delhi-Newark (EWR): Reduced to 4x weekly from July 16
Australia:
Delhi-Melbourne: 5x weekly
Delhi-Sydney: 5x weekly
Temporarily Suspended Until September 30:
Amritsar-London (Gatwick): 3x weekly
Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick): 3x weekly
Bengaluru-Singapore: 7x weekly
Pune-Singapore: 5x weekly
Air India will operate over 525 international flights per week across 63 short-, long-, and ultra-long-haul routes during this interim phase.
Passengers affected by cancellations or schedule changes are being contacted for rebooking options or full refunds.
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