Amid calls for Indian travellers to pause their Turkey and Azerbaijan holiday plans after the two countries supported Pakistan, InterGloble Aviation run IndiGo Airlines on May 15 highlighted how its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines enhances the connectivity of Indian hubs like Delhi and Mumbai.
"This arrangement (the codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines) not only enhances the connectivity of Indian hubs like Delhi and Mumbai, but the additional revenue has also led to increased tax contributions to the Indian exchequer, supporting economic growth," IndiGo said in a statement shared with Moneycontrol on May 15.
India's largest airline added that by continuous reinvestment of its resources in expanding its international routes, it is fuelling the aviation sector's development and creating jobs, both direct and indirect, across India.
"This expansion is a win-win for customers, airlines, and the broader Indian economy," IndiGo said.
The airline added that it currently operates direct flights to Istanbul via leased wide-body aircraft and offers codeshare seats to travellers to more than 40 points in Europe and the US, supported by its domestic network.
IndiGo stated that its arrangement provides multiple benefits to Indian travellers, such as availability of seats for reasonable airfares at a time when long-haul international airfares have increased substantially owing to the impact of Covid.
The low-cost carrier also said that through the codeshare agreement, international travel has become more accessible and affordable as passengers benefit from cost-effective two-stop flights from India's smaller cities to Europe and the US.
The airline added that its codeshare not only keeps two aircraft in active deployment but also serves as a vital engine for economic activity to support trade worth billions of US dollars between the two countries that spans several verticals beyond just travel.
IndiGo also highlighted that before the commencement of its operations to Turkey, Turkish Airlines was the sole carrier on this route, deriving the entire benefits of direct air connectivity between India and Turkey.
The current flight status
The airline added that under the current Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Turkey, airlines of Turkey and India are allowed to operate a total of 56 flights per week between the two countries – 14 flights from India to Turkey and 14 flights from Turkey to India each by Indian carriers and the same number by airlines of Turkey.
On May 14, Moneycontrol had reported that IndiGo was neither looking to reduce or stop operating its flights to Turkey as part of its codeshare and wet leasing agreement with Turkish Airlines, nor planning to reduce the frequency of its flights to Baku in Azerbaijan.
As per the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, only 4,853 Indians visited Azerbaijan in 2014. The number stood at 243,589 in 2024. The tourism board expects a growth of 11 percent from now until the next 10 years. Turkey saw 3,30,000 Indian passenger arrivals in 2024, compared to 119,503 in 2014, as per the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.
There are roughly 13,000 seats between India and Turkey each way on a weekly basis, while Azerbaijan and India have a little over 3,000 seats each way on a weekly basis. There are many one-stop options to both these countries.
According to data from flight tracking website Flightradar24, IndiGo operates two flights daily between India and Turkey, one from Delhi to Istanbul and one from Mumbai to Istanbul, while Turkish Airlines operates daily flights between Istanbul and Delhi and Mumbai and one weekly flight between Istanbul and Chennai.
Amid the boycott calls, data from Flightradar24 shows that IndiGo is the only airline currently operating flights between Delhi and Baku, and no flights were cancelled in the past week.
Boycott calls
On May 8, Shiv Sena had called for a boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan after both countries expressed solidarity with Pakistan against India’s Operation Sindoor that destroyed terrorist bases in Pakistan. Party leader Shaina NC had also called for Indians to boycott Turkey’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, and requested IndiGo to end its codeshare partnership with the former.
Just three days after Shiv Sena called for a boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan, party workers and leaders demonstrated at the Mumbai Airport demanding the cancellation of a Turkish company’s contract for handling airport ground services.
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