Shiv Sena opposes IndiGo’s partnership with Turkish Airlines

A Shiv Sena delegation led by Andheri East MLA Murji Patel and vibhag pramukh (division head) Kunal Sarmalkar plans to go to IndiGo’s Mumbai office on Friday to hand over a letter demanding the scrapping of the contract

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has demanded the scrapping of Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo’s wet-lease contract with Turkish Airlines amid growing geopolitical tensions over Turkey’s diplomatic and military ties with Pakistan following the recent conflict with India.

Greater Noida, India- December 09, 2024: The Noida International Airport (NIA) conducted a first flight validation test at the newly built airport in Noida (Jewar), Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The flight validation test marked a major milestone, paving the way to get certified for the airport’s approach and departure procedures. The first flight for validation landed at Jewar Airport after an Indigo flight made a landing in the presence of Minsiter Civil Aviation, in Greater Noida, India, on Monday, December 09, 2024. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

A Shiv Sena delegation led by Andheri East MLA Murji Patel and vibhag pramukh (division head) Kunal Sarmalkar plans to go to IndiGo’s Mumbai office on Friday to hand over a letter demanding the scrapping of the contract.

“IndiGo has taken aircraft on lease from Turkish Airlines,” said Patel. “We are told that their crew operates these aircraft. We want this contract to be scrapped. If they don’t listen, we will launch a protest. We are visiting their Mumbai office on Friday and giving them a letter [with the demands].”

Sarmalkar said that the Shiv Sena doesn’t want any Indian companies to have ties with Turkey, Bangladesh and Pakistan. “Allowing Turkish people in India is a security risk as they supported our enemy, Pakistan. We have already forced all airports to terminate their contract with the [Turkish] ground-handling agency, Celebi, and made them give acontract to [Kolkata-based] Indo Thai Airport Services, and retained the jobs of all [Celebi] employees [in India],” he added.

An IndiGo spokesperson did not respond to HT’s request for a comment until the time of going to press.

IndiGo uses Turkish Airlines aircraft, such as Boeing 777s, for connecting Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. These aircraft are operated under a wet lease agreement, wherein Turkish Airlines provides the planes and crew. The Indian carrier also has a codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines, through which IndiGo passengers can book flights to destinations in Europe and the United States.

Earlier this week, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers had said that the airline is fully compliant with all regulatory frameworks governing its operations with aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines, adding that the decision to renew these leases lies with the Indian government.