Air India / X/ (@airindia)

Air India’s decision to suspend its non-stop Delhi–Washington, D.C. flights from September 2025 underscores the mounting operational challenges facing the carrier as it overhauls its long-haul fleet and navigates geopolitical headwinds.

The move, announced Aug. 11, is driven by two interlinked constraints – the prolonged unavailability of aircraft due to an ambitious retrofitting programme, and the continued closure of Pakistani airspace that forces costly and time-consuming detours for westbound flights.

Air India began refurbishing 26 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in July as part of a $400 million cabin upgrade project aimed at aligning its product with global competitors. Each aircraft will be grounded for weeks at a time until at least late 2026, creating a rolling shortfall in widebody capacity.

“The retrofit is unavoidable if Air India wants to position itself as a premium carrier,” said an aviation consultant. “But the timing means they are having to trim marginal or operationally challenging routes, and Washington fits both categories.”

The airline has been trying to balance network integrity with available capacity, maintaining its most profitable and high-demand routes while scaling back on services that require more operational flexibility. Washington–Delhi’s geography already presented challenges even before the retrofit began.

Since Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers in 2019 following a military standoff, flights between India and the U.S. East Coast have had to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea, Oman and Europe. For Washington, this adds 60–90 minutes to flight time, increasing fuel burn and crew costs, and reducing aircraft utilisation.

“Those extra hours matter when you have a tight fleet roster,” said a senior Air India operations manager, speaking on condition of anonymity. “On-time performance and turnaround reliability suffer.”

Market implications

The suspension will leave United Airlines as the sole operator of direct India–Washington flights, strengthening the U.S. carrier’s position in a transatlantic segment where non-stop options are limited. Air India customers will be rerouted via its four U.S. gateways – New York JFK, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco – with onward travel on partner carriers.

Analysts say the loss of non-stop service could weaken Air India’s brand presence in the Washington market, where it has cultivated a loyal South Asian diaspora base since launching the route in 2017. While one-stop options remain, the direct link offered convenience for diplomatic, business and academic travellers.

The decision also reflects the trade-offs embedded in Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformation plan, launched after Tata Sons regained control of the airline in 2022. The plan involves a $70 billion fleet renewal, integration of its low-cost and full-service brands, and a sweeping service upgrade to match global standards.

In 2024, Air India merged with Vistara, while AirAsia India was folded into Air India Express. A greenfield maintenance base and a new flying school are in development. However, these upgrades require capital, management bandwidth and – critically – spare aircraft to keep the network running during transitions.

The suspension comes amid intensifying competition on India–North America routes. Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad continue to capture connecting traffic between India and the U.S., while Air Canada and United maintain strong non-stop offerings from Toronto, Newark and other hubs.

“Air India’s strength is in offering direct flights, but every cut dilutes that edge,” the analyst said. “They need to ensure these suspensions are temporary and that they come back stronger, with a product that makes the detour worthwhile for passengers.”

Air India has signalled the Washington suspension is temporary, with a potential return once the retrofit programme eases capacity constraints. Industry watchers expect the airline to redeploy aircraft on the route by 2027, possibly with upgraded cabins and more efficient operations – assuming geopolitical airspace issues are resolved.

Until then, Washington-bound passengers from India will rely on one-stop itineraries, adding time but potentially widening airline choice. For Air India, the challenge will be to maintain its hard-won foothold in the North American market without a key diplomatic and diaspora gateway in its network.