NEW DELHI– Air India, owned by the Tata Group, announced Monday that it will suspend its nonstop service between Delhi and Washington, D.C., effective September 1, 2025, citing a combination of operational and logistical factors.
The airline has been under pressure since the fatal Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, and said the suspension is intended to “ensure the reliability and integrity of Air India’s overall route network.”
A key reason for the move is a planned fleet shortage caused by the airline’s ongoing retrofit program for 26 of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft, launched last month.
“This extensive retrofit program, aimed at significantly enhancing the customer experience, will result in the prolonged unavailability of multiple aircraft at any given time through at least the end of 2026,” Air India said in a statement. “Coupled with the continued closure of Pakistani airspace, which forces longer routings, this has increased operational complexity on our long-haul network.”
Passengers booked to or from Washington, D.C. beyond September 1 will be contacted and offered rebooking on alternative flights or full refunds, depending on their preference.
Air India noted that travelers will still be able to reach Washington via one-stop connections through New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago, and San Francisco, in partnership with Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. These interline arrangements will allow passengers to travel on a single ticket with baggage checked through to their final destination.
The carrier will continue to operate nonstop flights between India and six North American destinations, including Toronto and Vancouver.
The announcement came on the same day an Air India flight from Delhi experienced a technical glitch upon arrival in Raipur, delaying passengers—among them a sitting MLA—by nearly an hour inside the aircraft without immediate explanation.
A day earlier, a Thiruvananthapuram–Delhi flight carrying senior political leaders made an emergency landing in Chennai due to a suspected radar malfunction. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating both incidents. (Source: IANS)
