IndiGo Maintains Flights To Turkey, Azerbaijan Amid Boycott Calls: Report

Despite several domestic travel agencies halting new bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan since May 9, IndiGo has no plans to scale back or suspend its flights to Turkey. The airline, operated by InterGlobe Aviation, will maintain its services under its existing code-share and wet lease agreement with Turkish Airlines, according to a Moneycontrol report citing senior executives.

“We have not seen a sharp drop in flight bookings to Turkey or a rush of cancellations so far. If demand to Istanbul takes a hit in the coming weeks, IndiGo will have to reconsider,” a senior official said in the report. The airline also does not plan to reduce the frequency of its flights to Baku, Azerbaijan, at this time.

IndiGo is yet to officially respond to the report.

Travel To Turkey And Azerbaijan On The Rise

According to the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, the number of Indian visitors to the country has surged from just 4,853 in 2014 to 243,589 in 2024. The board forecasts an 11 per cent annual growth in Indian arrivals over the next decade. Turkey, too, has seen a substantial rise in Indian tourist traffic, with 330,000 Indian visitors in 2024 compared to 119,503 in 2014, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

Currently, there are approximately 13,000 weekly one-way airline seats between India and Turkey, and over 3,000 between India and Azerbaijan. Both routes are also served by several one-stop options through other countries.

IndiGo And Turkish Airlines Maintain Flight Operations

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, IndiGo operates two daily flights between India and Turkey, one each from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. Turkish Airlines also maintains daily flights from Istanbul to Delhi and Mumbai, and a weekly flight to Chennai.

No flights between India and Turkey have been canceled so far, despite growing public calls for a boycott. IndiGo is currently the only airline operating direct flights between Delhi and Baku. Flightradar24 data shows there have been no cancellations on this route in the past week, as per the report.

Also Read: India Emerges As Most Preferred Equity Market In Asia Pacific: BofA Survey

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