Air India has been on an ambitious expansion drive since transitioning from being a government-owned airline to being with the Tata Group. Very recently, it put into service its A350 aircraft for flying daily to New York and London Heathrow, which freed up an increase in B777 services. However, some disturbing news has emerged, with reports of flight cancellations during the peak winter travel season on routes between India and North America.
The timing of the cancellations has also raised eyebrows, considering December is one of the strong months for travel. The month usually peaks in passenger traffic, especially for those of Indian origin who travel back home to visit their relatives and friends during the extended Christmas break. The VFR traffic would also be at its peak around this time, therefore making the impact of cancellations feel even more intense.
Cancellations and reductions in frequency will affect certain routes, such as Delhi-San Francisco, Delhi-Washington, Delhi-Toronto, Delhi-Chicago, and Delhi-Newark. Aviation analytics company Cirium data indicates that Air India is cutting over 50 flights to Chicago 14, San Francisco 16, Toronto 8, and more than 20 to Washington. New York from Delhi is spared, like the flights from Mumbai and Bengaluru.
All this plays out as Air India positions itself as an important operator on many services to the USA, especially with United Airlines scaling down its operations after the geopolitical tensions took hold, affecting airspace use. With its capability to overfly Russia, Air India offers a more direct route, making it more competitive.
Matters are worse for Air India since the proposed merger with Vistara will increase the number of aircraft available. However, given current circumstances, it was discovered that several B777-300ER aircraft are currently grounded, one of which has been out of order since 2020. Two of these aircraft have been sent to Turkey for heavy maintenance, while it is not certain whether the other grounded aircraft is fit to fly.
This put the airline in a predicament, and it questioned whether such cancellations could have been avoided altogether. An airline working hard to enter the international spotlight cannot afford such setbacks. Only recently had Air India proudly announced double daily service to Toronto, adding insult to injury when it came time to axe flights for its tarnished reputation.
If the maintenance was unscheduled, the decision to open flights for sale was a miscalculation; if planned, it reflects the airline’s inability to secure suitable maintenance slots in a competitive environment. Airlines usually plan maintenance activities to ensure their aircraft are as fully available during peak travel seasons.
The total number of passengers it has canceled remains unclear, but there is probably some revenue impact as well. Given high airfares and last-minute bookings, accommodating passengers on alternative flights could mean a shortage of available seats. All this can rankle travelers who were geared up to experience the new-look Air India and dampen enthusiasm during the airline’s transition period.
Air India is treading this thorny landscape wherein proper introspection must be engaged to decide what brought these operational issues. For instance, its rebranding strategy has been implemented very slowly at all customer touchpoints- a very critical aspect for any major brand that wants to re-brand itself.
Flight cancellations can be caused by anything, and Air India has set the bar quite high for itself because the company wants to differentiate itself from competitors. A question remains: Can the airline overcome such challenges toward its ambitious targets? Though the future might be uncertain, it promises high stakes for continued transformation at Air India.
