Air India will suspend its New Delhi-Washington Dulles route, effective Sept. 1.
Air India currently flies the route three times per week, which now includes a stop in Vienna; prior to June, the carrier flew nonstop between New Delhi and Dulles.
The airline said it will stop flying the route due to a fleet shortfall while retrofitting Boeing 787-8 aircraft with modern interiors, including new suites in business class. Multiple 787s at any one time will be unavailable until at least the end of 2026, Air India said.
Also, the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian airlines, which began in early May, has increased flight times between New Delhi and the U.S., adding operational complexity.
An Air India press release made no mention of any fall in demand following the June 12 crash of Flight 171, which killed 260 passengers, crew and bystanders. The airline did scale back its D.C. service from five to three times weekly after the incident.
A preliminary report from India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau made no conclusion about the cause of the crash, but said that both fuel cutoff switches were moved to off shortly after takeoff, placing scrutiny on the pilots.