Air India may gradually restore some of the international services it had curtailed in recent months as tensions in the Middle East ease and jet fuel prices moderate, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said.

In an internal memo to employees, Wilson said a more stable operating environment had allowed additional airspace to reopen while international fuel prices had declined significantly.

“Should this trend continue, we may be able to wind back some of the schedule reductions we’d taken in recent months,” Wilson said.

Earlier, Air India had rationalised services on select international routes between June and August 2026 owing to continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices for international operations. 

The airline had said the adjustments were aimed at improving network stability and reducing last-minute inconvenience to passengers while continuing to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month across five continents.

Besides, Wilson said the airline has begun witnessing encouraging improvements in customer experience following the induction of retrofitted Boeing 787 aircraft into service.

As per the airline, customer Net Promoter Score (NPS) on the two retrofitted Boeing 787 aircraft currently in operation has improved by more than 70 points compared with non-retrofitted aircraft, rising from minus 31 to plus 43.

In addition, customer satisfaction scores across cabin comfort, ambience, inflight entertainment and meals have increased from around 2.7 out of five to 4.1.

Wilson said another Boeing 787-8 aircraft is currently undergoing retrofit while around eight additional new or retrofitted widebody aircraft, including a new Boeing 787-9 arriving this weekend, are expected to enter service this year.

Furthermore, the airline recorded its highest-ever operational performance during June, with overall on-time performance improving to 86 per cent and domestic on-time performance reaching a record 90 per cent.

According to Wilson, while the temporarily reduced schedule and favourable weather conditions contributed to the improvement, ongoing enhancements in aircraft health, operational systems and procedures have also strengthened operational resilience.

On the network front, he said that Air India recently commenced its four-times-weekly non-stop Mumbai-Tokyo Haneda service, complementing its existing daily Delhi-Tokyo Haneda operations.

Meanwhile, Air India Express, Wilson pointed out will become the first airline to operate an international passenger flight from Navi Mumbai International Airport with services to Abu Dhabi commencing next month.

Additionally, the airline will launch direct services from Guwahati to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in August while also introducing a new domestic route between Pune and Amritsar.

More Like This

Published on June 26, 2026