Air India to suspend Delhi-Washington DC flights from Sept 1

The Air India on Monday said it will suspend its services between Delhi and Washington DC starting September 1.

In a press release, Air India said that the suspension was 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.

The continued closure of airspace over Pakistan has impacted the airline’s long-haul operations, leading to longer flight routings and increased operational complexity, the airline further said.

Air India to suspend services to Washington, D.C. from September 1. pic.twitter.com/REI2k1bkD2

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 11, 2025

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Customers with Air India bookings to or from Washington DC beyond Sept. 1 will be contacted and offered alternative travel arrangements, including rebooking on other flights or full refunds, as per their individual preferences, the airline said.

“Air India customers will continue to have the options of one-stop flights to Washington DC 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,” the airline further said.

The development has come at a time when Air India is under pressure over a series of safety-related incidents following the crash of Air India Flight 171 in June in Ahmedabad in which 261 people were killed.

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In an audit conducted in July, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found more than 51 safety failures in Air India between 2024 and mid-2025. Of these, seven were ’level 1’ violations, which is the of the most serious nature and 44 were ’level 2’ violations. Some of the violations included the use of unapproved simulators for pilot training, recurrent training gaps among Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, improper route assessments for airports with difficult terrains, poor roaster system, usage of outdated manuals, shortage of pilots, and inconsistent equipment checks.