Air India Clarifies Cancelation Of International Flights Amid Global Fuel Shortage

Air India has been dealing with the fallout of the ongoing war in West Asia. It has caused a massive oil and fuel shortage across the globe, which is creating dire circumstances for several countries.

Not just India, the aviation industry across the world is grappling with soaring jet fuel prices and concerns over potential shortages. This had led to cancellations and extra charges being levied on the consumer to make up for the rising cost of fuel.

Similarly, in India, Air India is also facing this crunch. A recent report stated that the company had cancelled all of its international flights. This created a panic among customers and tourists, who have worried about getting stuck in the country or having to miss important events.

#FakeNews Alert:

Malicious and fabricated claims circulating on certain platforms alleging that Air India has cancelled all international flights are completely false and baseless.

For accurate information, please rely only on official Air India channels. pic.twitter.com/GqjjPfWeeI

— Air India Newsroom (@AirIndia_News) May 12, 2026

Air India debunked a viral post claiming that the airline has cancelled all its international flights due to fuel shortage. In a tweet, the airline clarified that the claims are not just “fabricated” but “malicious” too. While it is true that due to the increasing fuel prices linked to the conflict in West Asia, Air India has cut more than 500 international flights across April and May, this is related to only some routes.

A post started circulating on social media with a caption claiming the airline has cancelled all its flights until July. The fake viral claim read, “Air India has cancelled all of its international flights until July due to fuel shortages.”

“#FakeNews Alert: Malicious and fabricated claims circulating on certain platforms alleging that Air India has cancelled all international flights are completely false and baseless,” the official account of Air India tweeted.

The airline further urged, “For accurate information, please rely only on official Air India channels.”

According to a report by Hindustan Times, earlier this month, Air India’s outgoing CEO and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, sent an internal message to employees explaining that the airline is cutting some routes because many have become unprofitable.

“We have reduced some flying for April and May… A massive rise in jet fuel prices, together with airspace closures and longer flying routes, has caused many of our international flights to become unprofitable to operate,” Wilson told staff, reported PTI.

“The airspace and jet fuel price situation remains extremely challenging, leaving us no choice but to further trim schedules for June and July,” he continued.

The exec added, “The profitability of domestic flights has also been significantly affected, but to a lesser degree, thanks to the government’s limitation of the domestic fuel price rise to 25%.”

However, according to global data that was studied by analyst Cirium, only around 13,000 flights were cancelled globally in May, resulting in two million fewer available seats. The Independant UK report mentioned that while this figure might appear significant, it constitutes a mere 1.5% reduction in total worldwide aviation capacity.