Air India to end Vienna-Delhi route and other European services in late October

Air India will end its Delhi-Vienna service at the end of October, closing a route it launched in April 2016 and flew four times a week for most of its life. According to a report by the Austrian aviation outlet aerotelegraph, the airline has decided to stop the connection, and from November only connecting flights will be bookable. Air India has not yet issued a statement on the cut.

The Vienna route is not the only one going. The carrier is also ending flights from Delhi to Birmingham and Copenhagen, and dropping the Amritsar-London Gatwick sector. After the change, Vienna will remain in Air India's network only as an occasional refuelling stop on services to Toronto and from San Francisco and Vancouver.

The cuts come as the Indian flag carrier reins in its growth plans after posting a record loss of 2.8 billion dollars in its last financial year. It plans to defer hundreds of aircraft deliveries, trim flights and put further expansion on hold.

At the Vienna launch in 2016, an Air India representative described the Austrian capital as a new gateway to India and to cities including Bangkok, Kathmandu, Colombo, Sydney and Melbourne. The route was suspended during the pandemic and returned in February 2022.