Our Bureau
New Delhi
Air India has slashed thousands of flights to West Asia due to the ongoing Middle East tensions. The airline’s CEO revealed they canceled around 2,500 trips in just three weeks and now run at only 30% of normal levels.
Campbell Wilson shared these details in a note to staff. He pointed to closed airports, blocked airspaces, and safety risks as key reasons. “Our operations to and through the Middle East are huge, so the hit is big,” Wilson wrote. Flights to the region face constant changes, forcing quick reroutes.
The trouble started with the fresh Israel-US-Iran clashes. Since then, Air India pulled back sharply to protect passengers and crew. Safety tops everything, the CEO stressed. Some routes to Europe, the UK, and North America now take longer paths, burning extra fuel.
Rising jet fuel costs add pain, more than doubling in spots. Air India added a fuel surcharge to tickets, but demand may drop if prices climb too high. Wilson noted weak travel mood from wider economic woes. Still, new demand pops up in Europe and North America, where extra flights fill gaps left by rivals cutting back.
