Foreign carriers now operate 58.4% of India-origin international flights
Air India has cut back on international flights, mainly because of higher costs and airspace issues.
As a result, foreign airlines like Lufthansa Group, Swiss International Air Lines, KLM, and Cathay Pacific have stepped in, now handling 58.4% of India-origin international scheduled flights (up from 51.2% last year).
Air India's US operations were hit particularly hard, where Air India's flights fell by more than 77% during the March-May period.
Swiss KLM Cathay expand India flights
To meet rising demand to Europe and the US Swiss has added a second daily Delhi-Zurich flight (a 39% jump), while KLM boosted its India services by nearly 20%, with many travelers preferring to skip Gulf stopovers due to regional tensions.
Cathay Pacific also increased its India-Hong Kong flights by 19%, making North America connections easier.