Indian travellers' charm for Turkey continues
Strong sentiments against Turkey for supporting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor didn’t deter Indian travellers flying to Turkey, as the latest DGCA data shows passenger flow same as last year
- Oct 22, 2025,
- Updated Oct 22, 2025 12:25 PM IST
The number of air travellers from India to Turkey and vice versa remained the same during April-June 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, and no change was recorded in air cargo capacity, according to the latest DGCA data.
Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May this year against the killing of civilians in Kashmir by Pakistan Pakistan-supported terror group saw strong sentiments against Turkey for supporting Pakistan. There were boycott calls made, and the same travel portals stopped making bookings to Turkey and saw cancellations.
The DGCA posted its data for Apr-June 2025, showing that travellers from India to Turkey and vice versa were 253,908, while it stood at 253,262 during April-June 2024, almost flat. The number for Jan-March 2025 was 12% higher at 295,419.
The number of passengers flying Turkish Airlines in and out of India was 117,524 in April-June 2025, almost 8500 more than the same period last year. These could be passengers using Istanbul, Turkey, as a transit hub for their onward journey to the West. After Operation Sindoor, online travel booking service providers MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip advised against non-essential travel to Turkey.
“Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60%, while cancellations have surged by 250% during the same period. In solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise all against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We have already discontinued all promotions and offers on our platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations,” MakeMyTrip had said in a statement on May 14.
India's apex body for aviation security, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, on May 15 revoked the security clearance for Turkish ground handling agency Celebi Airport Services India that provided ground handling and cargo services at nine airports in India, consisting of Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Ahmedabad and Chennai.
The number of air travellers from India to Turkey and vice versa remained the same during April-June 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, and no change was recorded in air cargo capacity, according to the latest DGCA data.
Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May this year against the killing of civilians in Kashmir by Pakistan Pakistan-supported terror group saw strong sentiments against Turkey for supporting Pakistan. There were boycott calls made, and the same travel portals stopped making bookings to Turkey and saw cancellations.
The DGCA posted its data for Apr-June 2025, showing that travellers from India to Turkey and vice versa were 253,908, while it stood at 253,262 during April-June 2024, almost flat. The number for Jan-March 2025 was 12% higher at 295,419.
The number of passengers flying Turkish Airlines in and out of India was 117,524 in April-June 2025, almost 8500 more than the same period last year. These could be passengers using Istanbul, Turkey, as a transit hub for their onward journey to the West. After Operation Sindoor, online travel booking service providers MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip advised against non-essential travel to Turkey.
“Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60%, while cancellations have surged by 250% during the same period. In solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise all against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We have already discontinued all promotions and offers on our platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations,” MakeMyTrip had said in a statement on May 14.
India's apex body for aviation security, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, on May 15 revoked the security clearance for Turkish ground handling agency Celebi Airport Services India that provided ground handling and cargo services at nine airports in India, consisting of Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Ahmedabad and Chennai.