Air India Suspends Direct Flights Between India and Washington DC Amid Aircraft Shortage, Pak Airspace Closure

Air India on Monday announced the suspension of its direct flights between Delhi and Washington DC, effective from September 1, 2025. The Tata Group airline said the move is due to operational constraints fueled by aircraft shortage and the continued airspace ban by Pakistan. 

“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,” said Air India in a statement on August 11. “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,” the airline added. 

The airline will continue to run one-stop flights to Washington via New York, Newark, Chicago, and San Francisco in partnership with Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, Air India said. Direct flights will remain operational between India and six other North American cities, including Toronto and Vancouver.

The suspension is also due to the retrofit programme announced by the airline with an aim to improve the onboard experience, and as a result certain aircraft will be out of service until late 2026. Apart from the airspace ban by Pakistan, the global supply chain disruption has impacted the Tata Group’s $400-million five-year fleet retrofit programme. The airline has projected that the programme is likely to be complete by October 2028. Pakistan and India both have extended bans over their airspace till August 24. The ban was initially put due to bitter relations between the two neighbouring nations following the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year.  

The widebody retrofit programme for Air India’s legacy B787-8 aircraft has already started and the first of 26 planes have already reached Boeing’s facility in July 2025, and the second aircraft is set to depart from India in October 2025. Both batches of plane are expected to return to service in December 2025. 

The development has also come around a time when, followed by the Ahmedabad plane crash, Air India has undertaken comprehensive maintenance-related checks on Boeing 787-8, 787-9, and 737 aircraft to prioritise safety and security in air travel.