India grants IndiGo a six-month extension of its Turkish Airlines partnership

The Indian government has allowed low-cost airline IndiGo to extend the aircraft leasing agreement it has with Turkish Airlines for an additional six months, until February 28, 2026.

Commercial ties between IndiGo and Turkish Airlines came under the scrutiny of the Indian government in May 2025, as the South Asian nation engaged in a brief but intense series of military clashes with its neighbor, Pakistan. 

As the Turkish government sided with Pakistan, India sought to review all commercial contracts involving Turkish companies operating in areas deemed sensitive to national security, such as aviation. Other businesses, such as the India-based subsidiary of airport services operator Çelebi Aviation Holding, which operates concessions at several major Indian airports, were also affected. 

Although the current set up is still subject to a certain degree of uncertainty, this change of course by the Indian government will enable IndiGo to continue operating one of its key international routes and will give the airline some time to consider alternatives in case the ban is finally upheld. 

Speaking with AeroTime in Delhi during the 81st Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers explained how the airline had initially secured a three-month moratorium for the Turkish business ban and was confident a solution could be found for the longer term. 

While IndiGo has ordered A350 widebody aircraft and A321XLR long-range narrow body aircraft from Airbus in order to expand into the long-haul, it didn’t want to wait in order to tap the European market.  

It is in this context, that the Indian carrier found in Turkish Airlines a partner capable of accelerating its entry into the European market through, both, the damp lease of two Boeing 777 aircraft, and the code-sharing between India, Istanbul (IST) and multiple destinations in Europe. The post India grants IndiGo a six-month extension of its Turkish Airlines partnership appeared first on AeroTime.

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