The extension has been granted to safeguard passengers’ interests given the current airspace closure
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REUTERS
To safeguard the interests of Indian passengers, the Centre has extended IndiGo’s deadline to operate Turkish Airlines-leased planes by six more months, till February 28 2026, sources told businessline.
Accordingly, the airline has received permission to renew the wet lease of Boeing 777 aircraft taken from Turkish Airlines.
Businessline was the first to report on May 29, 2025 that aviation regulator DGCA had granted a “one-time final extension” of three months to IndiGo on the wet leases till August 31, 2025.
“The extension has been granted to safeguard passengers’ interests given the current airspace closure,” sources told businessline.
According to sources, the airline, for its part, has conveyed to the Centre, that it is confident of making alternative arrangements by the end of the renewed extension period.
Limited breather
Speaking to businessline, sources said that while the leases were set to expire shortly, the Centre decided to allow a limited breather given the closure of Pakistan’s airspace for India’s airlines.
“Currently, IndiGo has few wide body aircraft with them. Due to airspace restrictions, they would have been unable to use narrow-body aircraft for long haul routes, as those planes cannot carry sufficient fuel,” sources said.
The Boeing 777 aircraft, with a seating capacity of over 500, are currently deployed on IndiGo’s Delhi–Istanbul and Mumbai–Istanbul routes.
Meanwhile, the Centre is also said to be reviewing the bilateral air services agreement with Turkiye.
As per sources, the review comes in the wake of a fall in passenger numbers to Turkiye, which does not warrant the existing large allocation of seats.
The Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Turkiye presently allows 56 flights per week.
In addition, IndiGo’s codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines enables the Indian carrier to offer seats to more than 40 destinations across Europe and the US.
On its part, an IndiGo spokesperson acknowledged the acceptance of IndiGo’s request for extension to its wet lease arrangement with Turkish Airlines, subject to conditions laid down by the regulator.
“This approval comes at a crucial time and will help mitigate losses to the Indian aviation due to geopolitical restrictions, and greatly benefitting Indian travellers during the peak travel season by ensuring a seamless, direct connection to Istanbul and points beyond,” the IndiGo spokesperson said.
“Given the current geopolitical challenges, this extension provides much-needed continuity and stability in operations, allowing us to better serve the growing demand for international travel.”
Published on August 28, 2025
