Aircraft shortage: Air India to suspend nonstops between Delhi and Washington from September 1
NEW DELHI: Air India will from September 1, 2025, suspend its nonstop between Delhi and Washington due to a shortage of wide body planes caused by the revamping of the Maharaj’s legacy fleet. Passengers booked on AI flights to or from Washington beyond September 1 will be offered alternative travel arrangements, including rebooking on other flights or full refunds, as per their individual preferences.“The suspension is primarily driven by the planned shortfall in Air India’s fleet, as the airline commenced retrofitting 26 of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft last month. This extensive retrofit programme, aimed at significantly enhancing customer experience, necessitates a prolonged unavailability of multiple aircraft at any given time until at least end of 2026. That, coupled with the continued closure of airspace over Pakistan, impacts the airline’s long-haul operations, leading to longer flight routings and increased operational complexity,” AI said in a statement.Air India customers will continue to have the options of one-stop flights to Washington via four US gateways – New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago, and San Francisco – with the airline’s interline partners, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, allowing customers to travel on a single itinerary with their baggage checked through to the final destination, AI statement said. Air India will continue to operate nonstops flights between India and six destinations in North America, including Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.Supply chain constraints seen since Covid have delayed Tata’s $400-million fleet retrofit programme “to delivering a world class flying experience and enhancing operational reliability across its legacy fleet.” The airline now hopes to complete the task by Oct 2028, about a year more than the five-year plan announced earlier.The airline said it has finally started the upgrade programme for its legacy wide fleet fleet with the Boeing 787 Dreamliners and the task is now expected to be complete by Oct 2028, “with the timeline having shifted due to supply chain delays”. In its last few cash-starved state-owned years, Air India had no funds to spend on cabin maintenance or upkeep and a poor inflight experience on those planes remains among the biggest irritants for passengers of long haul flights on which these planes are deployed. “Air India has commenced the widebody retrofit programme for its legacy B787-8 aircraft, with the first of 26 aircraft (VT-ANT) having flown to a Boeing facility in Victorville, California, in July 2025. A second aircraft is scheduled to depart for the same facility in Oct 2025, with both expected to return to service in Dec 2025. The retrofit programme for Air India’s B787-8s, now on a steady schedule for completion by mid-2027, will introduce brand-new interiors featuring a three-class configuration with business class, premium economy, and economy class seats,” AI said in a statement. The upgrade will see installation of brand-new seats in each cabin, advanced inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, new carpeting, curtains, upholstery, lavatories, galleys and more.Starting early 2027, AI will additionally retrofit 13 of its legacy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, aiming for completion by Oct 2028, with the timeline having shifted due to supply chain delays.
