Turkish Airlines Wants to Expand Its Presence in The Indian Market

Turkiye flag carrier, Turkish Airlines is looking to expand its presence in the Indian market. However, the airline has no scope for expansion as it has already fulfilled its allotted bilateral quota. Under the current bilateral air service agreement between both countries, airlines can operate 14 weekly flights in one direction. Turkish Airlines is currently operating daily flights to Delhi and Mumbai, fulfilling its quota.

Turkish Airlines in Talks With Indian Government

According to a report from CNBC-TV 18, Turkish Airlines is discussing with the Government of India to extend the current bilateral agreement by allowing it to provide more services to India, besides Delhi and Mumbai.

 

General Manager for Western and Southern India for Turkish Airlines, Fatih Karakoc said that the domestic aviation sector in India is booming. India is a big country, and it deserves more air connectivity. The airline is exploring options to potentially increase the number of flights between India and Turkiye. It is looking to increase the flight frequencies, depending on the government’s authorization.

Turkey represents itself as a country with a unique geographical location. With the codeshare agreement with IndiGo, Turkish Airlines is providing Indian passengers with seamless connections to various European and American cities.

 

According to Karakoc, the ‘Stopover in Istanbul’ program in India garnered a good response. Following this program, the airline witnessed a significant increase in the number of bookings from India. This initiative promotes Istanbul as a layover for passengers flying with Turkish Airlines.

Current Connectivity and IndiGo Codeshare

Currently, Turkish Airlines is operating daily to Delhi and Mumbai using its high-density Boeing 777s. With these flights, the bilateral quota of the airline is exhausted. To penetrate deeper into the market, Turkish Airlines signed a codeshare with IndiGo, the largest airline in India. IndiGo matched the network of Turkish by connecting Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul.

Following this, Turkish Airlines leased two high-density Boeing 777s to IndiGo to operate on both Istanbul routes. These B777s are configured with 531 seats.

 

With the help of a codeshare agreement, Turkish Airlines can access the network of IndiGo to reach out to cities like Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

IndiGo passengers can make use of the vast network of Turkish Airlines, spanning 346 destinations in 130 countries. On the leased Boeing 777s, the Business class seats are sold by Turkish Airlines, while IndiGo manages the Economy Class.

Turkey is Not Alone

Turkey is not the only country seeking more flights to and from India. Other countries like UAE, Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait have actively asked the Indian government to expand bilateral rights.

Emirates President Tim Clark has mentioned that these protectionist policies of the Indian government will prove to be detrimental to the Indian economy. He said that in such a booming period, holding the capacity is not the best idea.

 

Indian Government is resisting providing foreign carriers with any rights as it is promoting home-grown airlines like IndiGo and Air India. Both are slowly expanding their footprints in the international segment. IndiGo, with its first A321XLR delivery in 2025 will foray into the long-haul international market.

Conclusion: Turkish Airlines Indian Expansion

Turkish Airlines wants to increase its footprint in the Indian market but is unable to do so because of the restricted bilateral air service agreement. Under this agreement, the airline has utilized all the rights. It is currently holding discussions with the Indian Government to increase flying rights between both countries.

What do you think about Turkish Airlines’ intention to increase flights to and from India? Discuss in the comment section.