Mumbai: After its movement led to the termination of Turkish company Celebi’s airport ground handling contracts, the Shiv Sena has now given a 10-day ultimatum to IndiGo to terminate their wet-lease agreement with Turkish Airlines.
The political party has also demanded the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to change the wet-leasing provisions to prevent aviation crew from diplomatically hostile nations from operating regularly on Indian routes.
IndiGo entered into a wet-lease agreement with Turkish Airlines in 2023, under which it was provided with two planes with pilots and crew by the latter to operate flights from New Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. Both the airlines also entered into a codeshare partnership, which allows both airlines to sell seats on flights operated by another.
Shiv Sena leaders protesting at Mumbai Airport against IndiGo’s lease agreement with Turkish Airlines | File Photo
While the ‘Boycott Turkey’ call is gaining momentum, the focus has shifted on the wet-lease agreement between IndiGo and Turkish Airlines, which is due for renewal on May 31. On Friday, the Shiv Sena demonstrated against the lease agreement at Mumbai Airport and demanded IndiGo terminate the lease.
The Shiv Sena has written to IndiGo’s chief executive officer, station manager at Mumbai Airport and the Ministry of Civil Aviation expressing concerns regarding the lease agreement. A delegation led by Andheri East MLA Murji Patel and Shiv Sena leader Kunal Sarmalkar, who is also the general secretary of Airport Aviation Employees Union, visited the Terminal-1 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to meet the airline’s station manager and mark their protest.
Shiv Sena leaders protesting at Mumbai Airport against IndiGo’s lease agreement with Turkish Airlines | File Photo
Objections were raised against the foreign crew’s routine access to Indian passengers, airport facilities and sensitive operational data. Shiv Sena has alleged that the lease agreement gives commercial and operational advantage to a foreign airline while it undermines domestic aviation operators and India’s aviation autonomy.
Patel, who was the first to demand termination of Celebi’s contract, said, “This arrangement, in the current geopolitical context, is alarming and unacceptable. The Turkish government has openly expressed diplomatic and political support for Pakistan, especially during recent hostile exchanges between India and Pakistan. Continuing to allow Turkish nationals and Turkish-registered aircraft to operate within Indian airspace and at Indian airports directly contradicts the spirit of national security and sovereignty.”
The political party has demanded that the airline should terminate its wet-lease agreement with Turkish Airlines within 10 days and the party will carry out protests against the Indian airline if the demands are not met.
It has also demanded that the MoCA should review and restrict foreign wet-lease operations involving nations that are diplomatically hostile to India. It has also demanded that foreign crews or foreign-flagged aircraft should not be allowed to regularly operate on Indian routes.
“The aviation sector is not just a commercial industry but a part of the strategic infrastructure of the nation. We cannot and should not allow any compromise in the name of operational expansion that could potentially expose India’s internal systems to foreign elements,” said Sarmalkar.
Replying to The Free Press Journal earlier on May 16, IndiGo defended its partnership with the Turkish carrier claiming that international travel has become more accessible and affordable through the codeshare agreement and called it beneficial for the Indian economy.
