Why Are So Many Air India Flights Being Cancelled? CEO Campbell Wilson Cites 'Extra Caution'

Campbell Wilson News: Air India has cancelled several flights over the past few days. Responding to consumer concerns, its CEO cited extra safety checks after a DGCA directive as the cause.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.

Source : PTI

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Tuesday cleared the air over the multiple flight cancellations by the airline, particularly those on the international routes. In a statement on Thursday, June 19, Wilson said Air India has been conducting thorough safety inspections on the 33-strong Boeing 787 aircraft fleet. The enhanced inspections come after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on June 14 issued a directive for the same, following the June 12 crash.

"So far, inspections have been completed on 26 [aircraft] and these have been cleared for service. The remaining aircraft are currently in planned maintenance and will have these additional checks done before being released into service. Following the review, the DGCA has confirmed that our Boeing 787 fleet and maintenance processes fully meet safety standards," Wilson's statement read.

Air India CEO Apologises

He added: "Regrettably, the time required to perform these enhanced safety checks, along with the application of extra caution, external factors like airspace closures in Iran and the Middle East as well as night-time restrictions at some international airports, along with normal airline technical issues, has led to a higher-than-usual number of cancellations on our long-haul network in the past few days. We know these disruptions have been frustrating, and we're truly sorry for the inconvenience."

He further said that to gain back consumer trust, Air India has decided to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 fleets, for the time being. "Given the time these additional checks will consume and the potential impact on schedules, we have decided to reduce our international widebody flights by around 15% starting June 20, 2025, through to at least mid-July. This will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues."

Apologising to Air India customers, Campbell Wilson said: "We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience. If your flight is impacted, we will contact you to offer rebooking on another flight at no extra cost or a full refund. We will share the updated international schedule within the next few days."