NEW DELHI— Air India on Tuesday announced plans to partially restore its international flight operations starting August 1, following a temporary reduction in services triggered by the fatal June 12 crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives.
The Tata Group-owned carrier said the suspension, referred to internally as a “Safety Pause,” allowed the airline to conduct precautionary inspections on its Boeing 787 fleet. The pause also accounted for longer flight durations due to airspace closures over Pakistan and the Middle East.
“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 stated.
As part of the phased restoration, Air India will operate three weekly flights between Ahmedabad and London Heathrow from August 1 to September 30. This replaces the current five weekly flights between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick.
Earlier, the airline had cut back its flights to Europe and North America by 15 percent until mid-July to free up aircraft for contingency needs amid the Boeing 787 inspections ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The disruption was further exacerbated by Iranian airspace restrictions, which impacted flight routing.
While full restoration of Air India’s international flight schedule is targeted for October 1, the airline confirmed that some services initially listed between August 1 and September 30 will be removed from the schedule as the restoration is phased in.
“Air India is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-booking on alternative flights or a full refund, as per their preference. Air India apologises for the inconvenience. With the partial restoration, Air India will operate more than 525 international flights per week on 63 short, long and ultra long-haul routes,” the airline added.
In response to the crash, the DGCA has instructed all carriers to inspect the locking mechanisms of fuel control switches across their Boeing fleets. Preliminary findings from the Air Accidents Investigation Bureau revealed that both engines of the ill-fated Boeing Dreamliner shut down seconds after takeoff due to a fuel supply cutoff. (Source: IANS)
