Tata Group-promoted Air India will temporarily rationalise operations by 20 per cent on select domestic routes between June and August 2026 amid high fuel costs, sources told businessline.
At present, Air India operates 3,600 domestic flights per week. The reduction, sources said, is expected to impact more than 750 frequencies per week.
“Over 40 per cent of operations costs come from fuel, which is the most expensive component. The exponential rise in prices has led to this decision,” sources told businessline.
Lean Season
Accordingly, the move extends adjustments already announced for certain international services.
“The upcoming lean travel season, coupled with extremely high ATF (Air Turbine Fuel) costs, has led to the decision to reduce frequencies on domestic routes,” sources said .
The airline is set to scale down flight frequencies on a number of metro and tier-2 sectors, while continuing operations on all affected routes.
The sectors likely to witness lower frequencies include Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Mumbai-Nagpur, Mumbai-Patna, Mumbai-Bhopal, Delhi-Hyderabad, Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Kolkata.
Frequency Reduction
Besides, sources indicated that the airline’s earlier curtailment of select international operations had moderated connecting domestic passenger traffic through key transit hubs such as Delhi and Mumbai.
On its part, the airline said the move involves a reduction in frequencies on select domestic routes during the three-month period beginning June 1.
“In continuation of our previously announced adjustments to select international services between June and August 2026, we have temporarily rationalised operations on certain domestic routes during the same period, with a reduction in frequencies on select routes,” an Air India spokesperson said.
The airline said it would continue to monitor demand and operating conditions closely, with a view to restoring frequencies once conditions stabilise.
Fuel Prices
Earlier this month, Air India suspended flights on six international routes.
businessline was the first to report on the airline’s plans to temporarily suspend all flights to certain destinations such as Chicago.
Furthermore, Air India reduced frequencies across several overseas routes between June and August 2026.
The airline’s international operations have been impacted by high jet fuel prices, prolonged airspace restrictions, and geopolitical disruptions.
At that time, Air India had said the latest adjustments were aimed at improving network stability and minimising last-minute inconvenience to passengers during the peak travel season.
In addition, as part of the revised international schedule, Air India has suspended flights on six overseas routes through August.
These include Delhi-Chicago, Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dhaka, Delhi-Malé and Mumbai-New York (JFK) services.
Meanwhile, Delhi-Newark services will remain temporarily suspended during the period.
Despite these reductions, the airline had said it will continue operating more than 1,200 international flights every month across five continents.
Published on May 27, 2026