Air India reports ₹26,765 cr Loss, biggest since Tata Group takeover amid cost pressures, route cuts

Air India has reported its largest annual loss since returning to the Tata Group, highlighting the scale of challenges facing the airline’s transformation journey. Rising fuel prices, airspace restrictions and supply chain disruptions have emerged as major pressures on both financial performance and operations.

Air India recorded a loss of approximately 3.56 billion Singapore dollars (around $2.8 billion or nearly ₹26,765 crore) for the financial year 2025–26, marking its biggest annual loss since the Tata Group acquired the airline in 2022, according to details shared by Singapore Airlines (SIA) in its annual financial statements.

The losses underscore the scale of the turnaround challenge for Air India despite significant investments in fleet expansion, operational upgrades and service improvements under Tata Group’s multi-year transformation strategy.

Singapore Airlines, which owns a 25.1% stake in Air India Group, said the investment remains a core element of its long-term growth strategy despite current financial pressures.

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The carrier said India continues to represent one of the world’s fastest-growing and largest aviation markets, making Air India a strategically important investment for the company’s future network plans. SIA added that it remains committed to working closely with Tata Sons to support Air India’s long-term transformation efforts.

Multiple headwinds

Air India’s financial performance comes at a time when airlines globally continue to grapple with elevated costs and operational disruptions.

According to Singapore Airlines, Air India is facing industry-wide supply chain constraints, ongoing airspace restrictions, limitations on operations to key Middle East destinations and high jet fuel prices, all of which have increased pressure on profitability.

Airspace restrictions in particular have disrupted established flight routes, forcing airlines to adopt longer flying paths and incur additional fuel and operating costs.

These pressures have added complexity to Air India’s ongoing effort to improve financial performance while rebuilding its global network.

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International routes

The operational impact has also begun reflecting in Air India’s network strategy.

The airline recently announced temporary reductions and suspensions on several international routes through August 2026, citing prolonged airspace restrictions and record-high fuel costs that have affected the commercial viability of some services.

Air India plans to reduce nearly 100 international flights and temporarily suspend operations on seven overseas routes, including Delhi–Chicago, leading to as much as a 27% reduction in international capacity.

The airline said the move is aimed at improving network stability and reducing last-minute disruptions for passengers.

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Transformation efforts

Despite the financial setback, Singapore Airlines said Air India continues to make progress in key transformation initiatives.

Areas such as fleet renewal, aircraft retrofit programmes, customer experience enhancements and operational improvements remain central to the airline’s restructuring efforts.

Analysts estimate that the broader Air India Group, comprising Air India and Air India Express, may have recorded losses exceeding ₹22,000 crore in FY26.

While the Tata Group continues investing heavily in Air India’s revival, the latest results show that restoring profitability may remain a complex and long-term task amid an increasingly challenging global aviation environment.

(With PTI and Reuters inputs)