New Delhi, 13 May 

Air India on Wednesday announced a reduction of international flights and a temporary suspension of services on six routes, including Delhi-Chicago, amid airspace curbs and high jet fuel prices.

The loss-making airline, which has already reduced flights on certain routes, said the latest announced rationalisation of services will be in place during the June-August period.

A combination of factors, including continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices for international operations, is significantly impacting the commercial viability of certain planned services, Air India said in a statement.

The loss-making airline will be temporarily suspending services on Delhi-Chicago, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-Shanghai, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dhaka, and Delhi-Male routes till August.

According to the statement, the airline will continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month.

These include 33 flights per week to North America, 47 flights per week to Europe, 57 flights per week to the UK, eight flights per week to Australia, 158 flights per week to the Far East, Southeast Asia, and SAARC regions, and seven flights per week to Mauritius (Africa).