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Air India suspends Delhi-Washington D.C. after starting 787-8 retrofits
August 12th 2025
Air India will pause nonstop India to the U.S. capital by August 31 because its 787-8 upgrade schedule will leave the carrier short of aircraft. Read More » An additional factor in the decision is the closure of Pakistan airspace that requires longer flight routings and "increased operational complexity", the airline said. Air India is retrofitting its 26 787-8s with new interiors and cabin furnishings and upgrading their avionics and other critical components. It also will conduct scheduled heavy maintenance checks on seven aircraft. "This extensive retrofit undertaking, aimed at significantly enhancing customer experience, necessitates prolonged unavailability of multiple aircraft at any given time until at least the end of 2026," Air India said. Additionally, the completion timeline for the upgrading of the flag carrrier’s 13 777-300ERs has been re-scheduled due to supply chain delays. It will commence in early 2027 rather than this November with sign off of the program pushed back to October 2028.
