Govt Softens Position On Turkey, Allows Aircraft Leasing Deals: Report (Image: X/aerowanderer) ·
Barely three months after vowing to cut civil aviation ties with Turkey, the Indian government has eased its stance. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has begun clearing aircraft leasing deals involving Indian carriers and Turkish Airlines, marking a clear course correction, according to ET.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has received DGCA approval to extend its lease of two Boeing 777 aircraft from Turkish Airlines by six months. This reverses the regulator’s earlier directive, which required IndiGo to end the arrangement by August 31.
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The airline, which had first sought a six-month extension, was earlier granted only a “one-time, last and final” three-month reprieve.
Budget carrier SpiceJet has also secured approval to lease five Boeing 737s from a Malta-based subsidiary of Turkish airline Corendon. Though separately licensed, the subsidiary is wholly owned by the Turkish carrier, reported ET.
Why the Policy Reversal?
Officials said the government was compelled by commercial realities. Without leased widebody jets, Indian carriers would have been unable to operate effectively on the India–Turkey sector.
“Operating to Istanbul with Airbus A320/321 aircraft is impractical due to range limitations. Without these leases, Turkish carriers would have completely dominated the route—something the government did not want,” an official told ET.
Industry executives agreed, warning that policy must be guided by national and commercial interest rather than social media clamour. “The ouster of ground-handling firm Celebi earlier this year was driven more by online outrage than policy logic. It’s good the government has realised the futility of such steps,” one senior aviation leader told ET.
The Modi government’s toughened posture towards Turkey followed Operation Sindoor, during which it was found that many drones used by Pakistan were of Turkish origin.
In May, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security revoked the licence of Turkish ground-handling company Celebi, forcing it to shut operations across nine Indian airports.
Celebi maintained it was privately owned, with 65% held by global institutional investors, but national security concerns prevailed.
In the vacuum created by Celebi’s exit, Indian airport operators such as Adani Group and GMR are preparing to enter the ground-handling business, with many former Celebi employees reassigned to new roles.
Despite strained aviation ties, the people-to-people movement remains strong. In June 2025 alone, 24,250 Indian tourists visited Turkey, a sharp 36% increase compared to last year.
