Mumbai, June 19 (UNI) Air India announced that it is reducing international flights on widebody aircraft by 15 per cent "until at least mid-July" , officials said on Thursday.

The airline operates about 70 international flights daily on its widebody fleet. Multiple factors, including airspace closures of many countries, have increased flying times to and from the west and enhanced checks on Boeing 787s since AI 171 crash last Thursday have reduced twin-aisle availability.

In a statement issued late in the evening on Wednesday, the Tata Group-owned airline said there have been disruptions due to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, night curfew in airspaces of many countries in Europe and East Asia, and there are ongoing enhanced safety inspections.

Necessary cautious approach is being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots, it said.

"Given the compounding circumstances that Air India is facing to ensure stability of our operations, better efficiency and to minimise inconvenience to passengers, Air India has decided to reduce its international services on widebody aircraft by 15 per cent for the next few weeks," the statement said.

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