Tata Group's Air India to reduce flights operated with narrow-body planes on 19 routes from...; suspends services on...

Air India has said it will temporarily reduce 118 weekly flights operated with narrow-body planes on 19 routes and suspend services on three routes. The announcement comes days after the Tata Group-owned carrier said it will cut international flights operated with wide-body planes by 15 per cent temporarily.

In a statement, the airline said it is going for "temporary cuts of less than 5 per cent to its overall narrow-body network". "This voluntary decision leads to the temporary suspension of Air India's services on 3 routes and reduction of frequency on 19 routes. The changes are effective until at least 15 July 2025," it said.

Seven-weekly flights on three routes -- Bengaluru-Singapore, Pune-Singapore and Mumbai-Bagdogra (AI551/552) -- will be suspended till at least July 15. Flights on various other routes, including Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Mumbai, will be reduced. According to the airline, the reductions are aimed at strengthening Air India's network-wide operational stability and minimising last-minute inconvenience to passengers.

DGCA revises operational guidelines for operators

Aviation watchdog DGCA has revised its operational guidelines for operators during adverse weather conditions, emphasising that safety should take precedence over "schedule adherence" and encouraged pilots to divert flights in unpredictable conditions.

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Issuing an updated operations circular to scheduled and non-scheduled operators, the regulator also said pilots should cross-check visual cues with instruments to ensure accurate approach and landing assessments to deal with visual illusions that may occur during night operations in rain or on wet runways. The circular also comes against the backdrop of recent helicopter accidents in Kedarnath region of Uttarakhand and an IndiGo flight en route to Srinagar encountering severe turbulence last month.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)