Air India announced on Thursday that it would reduce the number of international flights by 15% in the coming weeks due to the recent plane crash and heightened security checks.
The carrier said it was cutting international wide-body flights for a number of reasons: tighter security checks following the crash, the closure of airspace in parts of Europe and Asia, and growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Air India has cancelled 83 flights in the past six days. Air India said that customers affected by the cuts will be able to rebook their flights at no additional cost or receive a full refund if they decide to cancel their trip.
Last week, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed in western India, killing at least 271 people.
Experts say that the crash may have been caused by the failure of both engines, although the airline claims that the engine was in good working order.
After the accident, the Indian Ministry of Aviation ordered all Boeing 787s operated by local airlines to be inspected. Of the 34 such aircraft, 33 belong to Air India. Boeing 777 aircraft will also be inspected.
Meanwhile, India’s aviation regulator (DGCA) has issued a warning to Air India for safety violations after three of its Airbus aircraft continued to operate despite overdue emergency equipment inspections and for slow resolution of the issue.
