India: a significant market for Türkiye

Turkish Airlines is working closely with the Indian government to increase the number of flights between Türkiye and India, says Ümit Develi, Vice President of Asia & Far East, Turkish Airlines. The airline is also promoting Istanbul as a major connecting hub between Europe, Asia, and Africa, which will provide Indian passengers seamless connectivity to destinations even beyond Türkiye.

Hazel Jain

What kind of potential does the India market offer to Turkish Airlines?

We understand that India’s aviation sector is growing, and airlines are expanding their routes to meet the demand for international travel. Turkish Airlines is working closely with the Indian government to potentially increase the number of flights between Türkiye and India. Currently, we operate 14 weekly flights, but we are aiming to offer more options for travellers. Noteworthy collaborations include our codeshare partnership with IndiGo in India. Turkish Airlines and IndiGo together provide significant connectivity between India and Türkiye. Approximately 50 per cent of the traffic routed through Istanbul on these flights extends to various other destinations beyond Istanbul. We are also evaluating the possibility of increasing flight frequencies soon.

What kind of load factors do you see right now and how do you plan to increase this?

As part of our ongoing codeshare agreements, we are broadening our coverage to encompass additional routes. Passengers can now access many routes in India, such as Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai via Delhi and Mumbai. Türkiye sits at the optimum location for Indian passengers to connect them to other destinations. Our collaboration with IndiGo offers more options to Indians travelling to America and Europe. Additionally, through our collaboration, IndiGo has added new international routes to cities like Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, and several US cities via Istanbul. This expansion means more options for business and leisure travellers.

Are you looking at adding new flights to routes doing well?

We are certainly looking to expand our network in India. We are currently operating 14 weekly flights under the existing bilateral agreement between Türkiye and India. However, given the untapped potential and rising demand for air travel between two countries, as well as Indian guests’ desire to travel abroad, we continuously evaluate increases in flight frequencies and possibilities of new routes. Our immediate focus is on achieving the frequencies. Once granted, we plan to explore new routes and increasing frequencies on routes that are performing well. The current bilateral agreement does allow us to add routes.

What do you think about destinations beyond Türkiye?

Istanbul plays a major connecting hub between Europe, Asia, and Africa. This strategic location enables us to offer connectivity for passengers travelling to and from India, providing seamless connections to destinations beyond Türkiye for long-haul destinations, including the US.

How are you promoting Türkiye as a destination?

Promoting Türkiye as a destination is a priority for us. We work closely with travel agents in India, particularly through our collaboration with the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI). By organising familiarisation tours and providing comprehensive training, we ensure that Indian travel agents have the firsthand experience and knowledge needed to promote Türkiye effectively. This partnership enhances our reach and helps foster deeper cultural exchanges and enriching travel experiences for Indian tourists.

How do you work with travel agents in India?

India has become a significant market for the Turkish tourism sector, with a consistent increase in Indian tourists annually. Our partnership with OTOAI enhances the connection between India and Türkiye. The recent familiarisation tour, organised in collaboration with the tourism board, aimed to strengthen partnerships within the Indian travel trade fraternity.

‘Stopover in Istanbul’ programme

This enables travellers flying with Turkish Airlines to explore Istanbul during their layovers. It offers free accommodation in select partner hotels that will allow the passengers to have a mini vacation during long layovers. Passengers with a layover period of at least 20 hours are eligible to participate in the programme.