Air India has initiated a phased restoration of its international flight schedule following a temporary “Safety Pause” that commenced in June 2025. This significant disruption, which led to widespread flight cancellations and adjustments, was primarily triggered by the tragic crash of flight AI171 on June 12, 2025. The incident involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner heading from Ahmedabad to London, which experienced a flameout shortly after departure, resulting in the loss of all but one of the 241 passengers and crew. Beyond the accident, ongoing airspace restrictions over parts of the Middle East and Pakistan also contributed to the operational challenges.

The temporary pause allowed Air India to conduct precautionary inspections of its entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet and undertake an operational rebalancing. The airline has confirmed that services on several key international routes will begin returning to full strength from August 1, with complete restoration targeted by October 1, 2025. This conservative approach prioritizes ensuring all safety checks are rigorously completed before full resumption.

As part of its recovery strategy, specific route adjustments have been implemented. Three weekly flights between Ahmedabad and London Heathrow will operate from August 1 through September, temporarily replacing the prior five weekly services to London Gatwick. Services between Delhi and London Heathrow resumed their full schedule of 24 weekly operations on July 16. Gradual increases in flights are planned through August and September for routes connecting Delhi to Zurich, Tokyo Haneda, and Seoul Incheon. Additionally, Delhi–Nairobi operations, which were temporarily halted, have resumed with three weekly flights through August.

However, some routes continue to face temporary reductions in frequency due to fleet availability and operational constraints. These include services from Delhi to Chicago, Toronto, Paris (reduced from 12 to 7 weekly), Amsterdam, and Melbourne. Similarly, Bengaluru to London Heathrow and Delhi to Milan (trimmed from four to three weekly) will maintain reduced frequencies through September. Flights from Mumbai and Delhi to New York (JFK) have also been adjusted to six weekly services. Furthermore, a few international connections remain suspended, such as services from Amritsar and Goa to London Gatwick, and Bengaluru and Pune to Singapore. These routes are expected to return once operational stability improves and full capacity is restored across the fleet.

Air India has confirmed that all affected passengers are being contacted with options for rebooking or full refunds, underscoring its commitment to customer satisfaction. The airline maintains a steadfast focus on ensuring both safety and operational reliability throughout this recovery process, which includes a comprehensive inspection of its fleet and collaboration with experts in aviation safety and global regulators to establish further checks and improvements. As of mid-June, Air India was operating over 525 weekly international flights to 63 destinations, and the carrier aims to return to its pre-June operational levels across all routes by early October 2025. The airline views this recovery not just as a return to normal flight operations, but as a renewed commitment to strengthening safety protocols for the long term.