Flight cuts by Air India and IndiGo are beginning to disrupt travel plans for thousands of UAE-based passengers as India’s two largest airlines scale back operations amid soaring jet fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict.
The reductions come during the peak summer travel season, when millions of Indian expatriates in the Gulf travel home for school holidays, family visits and onward international connections.
Air India and IndiGo together control around 90% of India’s domestic passenger market, making the pullback significant for travellers across the UAE-India corridor.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that IndiGo has cut around 7%-10% of its planned domestic flights for June and July, while Air India has reduced around 22% of scheduled domestic services. The sources were not authorised to speak publicly.
The cuts are expected to tighten seat availability and keep fares elevated on several routes during the busy travel period.
The aviation industry has been hit hard by rising jet fuel prices following disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict.
Fuel accounts for up to 40% of airline operating costs, forcing carriers to raise fares, suspend unprofitable routes and reduce frequencies.
Air India said it had “temporarily rationalised operations on certain domestic routes” between June and August because of the sustained impact of high fuel prices on operations.
An Air India official said aviation turbine fuel prices for the airline had risen from around Rs 80,000 per kilolitre before the Iran conflict to more than Rs 100,000.
The increases have been driven partly by disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, the key global oil shipping route connecting Gulf energy producers to international markets.
The flight reductions could create widespread knock-on effects for UAE travellers, especially passengers connecting through Delhi and Mumbai to smaller Indian cities or international destinations.
Air India said reduced international operations had lowered demand for domestic feeder flights into major hubs such as Delhi and Mumbai.
That could result in fewer connection options and longer transit times for passengers flying from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Many UAE residents use Indian hubs as lower-cost transit points for flights to North America, Europe and parts of Asia. Reduced long-haul schedules could now limit those options.
