Air India has spent 2026 quietly dismantling parts of its international network, and the latest round of cuts touches eight routes across Europe, the Gulf and Southeast Asia. If you're flying between India and these cities, the flag carrier is no longer your nonstop option - though in some cases its low-cost sibling, Air India Express, has stepped in.
The European losses are the biggest for travellers. Delhi-Birmingham flights ended in November, leaving the UK's second city without a direct link to the Indian capital. Delhi-Vienna and Delhi-Copenhagen both stop in October, which means Vienna now has no nonstop connection to India at all. The numbers show the demand was real - roughly 68,400 people flew between Vienna and Delhi in 2025, out of 173,500 total passengers on Austria-India routes - but apparently not profitable enough given current conditions.
Chennai's story is even more dramatic: Air India has exited the city's international market entirely. Daily flights to Colombo ended last year, Dubai went in March and Singapore in May. The Singapore route survives, just under a different logo - Air India Express resumed twice-daily Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights on October 25. The Dubai replacement was short-lived, though: the budget carrier operated only seven flights in March and nothing is currently scheduled. Dubai routes from Hyderabad and Kochi have also shifted to Air India Express, while Delhi-Riyadh will follow from December with four weekly flights.
Why the retreat? A stack of problems hitting at once. Pakistan's airspace has been closed to Indian airlines since April 2025, forcing Europe and North America flights from Delhi into lengthy detours over the Arabian Sea that add up to four hours per flight. High jet fuel prices have already pushed the airline out of markets like Chicago, and the financials are painful - a consolidated net loss of around $2.4 billion (₹22,238 crore) in the 2025-26 financial year, plus roughly another $1.1 billion in the first half of 2026-27.
The airline isn't shrinking altogether. At a New Delhi aviation conference, CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said Air India plans to shift some long-haul operations from Delhi to Mumbai, with Bengaluru also being considered as an additional hub. So expect the network to look different rather than simply smaller.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is to check who actually operates your route before booking. Delhi-Birmingham and Delhi-Vienna flyers will need one-stop itineraries via other carriers, while Chennai passengers can still reach Singapore nonstop - just on Air India Express, with the different baggage allowances and service model that come with a low-cost carrier. Anyone holding Air India bookings on the affected routes should watch for rebooking or refund notices as the withdrawal dates arrive.
