Air India suspends Washington Dulles flights amid Boeing 787 cabin upgrade

Speaking at the International Air Transport Association's annual meeting in Delhi earlier this year, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the retrofits for the 787s would start in July or August and are expected to continue through 2027. He also noted that seat production issues had delayed these updates by one to two years.

The goal of the project is to bring the interiors of Air India's Boeing 777s and 787s up to par with those found on its Airbus A350-900 aircraft. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, these A350s currently operate routes from Delhi to Dubai, London Heathrow, Newark Liberty, and New York John F. Kennedy airports.

Air India did not specify why it chose to halt only the Delhi-Washington route while maintaining service to Chicago O'Hare, Newark Liberty, JFK, and San Francisco airports.

Currently, Air India's flight between Delhi and Washington operates three times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—and stops for refueling at Vienna Airport when traveling westbound from Delhi.

The airline stated it will provide affected passengers with alternative flights or full refunds.