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Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
India extends IndiGo's Turkish Airlines lease by just three months
NEW DELHI: IndiGo's Turkish Airlines lease has been extended by three months, less than the six-month extension allowed under current rules, India's aviation regulator said on Friday, giving the Indian airline a temporary boost in its international expansion plans. There has been public pressure on the Indian government to review its business ties with Turkey after Ankara's support for Pakistan during a recent conflict with India, which sparked public anger and boycott of Turkish products, including chocolates, coffee and clothing. IndiGo was not immediately available for a comment on Friday. IndiGo has had a codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines since 2018 and has used that pact to connect travelers from India to a growing number of destinations in Europe and the U.S. in the last few years, making Istanbul an important hub for India's largest domestic airline. Since 2023, Turkish has leased to IndiGo two Boeing 777 aircraft with pilots and some crew. The aircraft presently operates on the Delhi-Istanbul and Mumbai-Istanbul routes, allowing IndiGo to carry more passengers, compared with the narrowbodies it operated earlier. India's IndiGo co-founder to sell up to $1.4 billion worth of shares, term sheet shows IndiGo has been leasing widebody aircraft to tide over aircraft delivery delays and expand internationally. The airline expects its first Airbus A350 by early 2027 and the long-range A321XLR this financial year. The agreement with Turkish has faced calls to be scrapped. Rival Air India has lobbied Indian officials to halt the leasing tie-up, citing the business impact as well as security concerns sparked by Turkish support for Pakistan, Reuters reported earlier this month. IndiGo has previously defended the Turkish partnership, saying it offers multiple benefits to Indian travelers and boosts aviation growth and jobs. The government's move to give an extension follows its announcement earlier this month revoking the security clearance of Turkish ground handling service firm Celebi, citing national security, inviting a lawsuit from the Indian arm of the Turkish firm.
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Business Standard
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India to review IndiGo-Turkish airlines ties amid security concerns
India will discuss with security agencies IndiGo's codeshare and leasing pacts with Turkish Airlines and decide on further action, its civil aviation minister said on Friday. The move follows growing public anger in India against Turkey's support for Pakistan during a recent conflict sparked by an attack on tourists by Islamist assailants in Jammu and Kashmir. "We are taking input from IndiGo on that and also with the necessary security agencies, and we'd like to see how to proceed with that," Minister Rammohan Naidu told reporters on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi. IndiGo has previously defended the partnership, saying that it offers multiple benefits to Indian travellers, boosts aviation growth and jobs, and has enabled IndiGo to build its presence in long-haul markets in Europe and the U.S. IndiGo began a codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines in 2018, allowing it to offer many international destinations to its customers. Since 2023, India's dominant domestic airline has also had a leasing arrangement with state-backed Turkish Airlines, which has provided two planes with pilots and some crew to IndiGo to operate on New Delhi- and Mumbai-to-Istanbul routes. The two agreements have faced growing calls to be scrapped. Rival Air India has lobbied Indian officials to halt IndiGo's leasing tie-up with Turkish Airlines, citing business impact as well as security concerns sparked by Istanbul's support for Pakistan, Reuters reported last week. The Indian government earlier this month revoked security clearance of the Turkish ground handling service firm Celebi, citing national security, resulting in a lawsuit from the Indian arm of the Turkish firm. Small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers are boycotting Turkish products, including chocolates, coffee, jams, cosmetics and clothing. The boycott came after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed public solidarity with Pakistan after India conducted military strikes in response to the killing of tourists.
