India, June 19 -- Air India has announced a 15 per cent reduction in its international widebody operations following the deadly June 12 crash of flight AI171 in Ahmedabad and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The cuts, which affect flights using Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft, will remain in place until at least mid-July. The airline began implementing the changes on June 20, the airline said in a statement on Wednesday, reported Bloomberg.

"The curtailments are a painful measure to take, but are necessary following a devastating event which we are still working through and an unusual combination of external events," Air India stated.

Air India blamed a combination of factors for the disruption, including safety inspections...