The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that IndiGo's permission to operate aircraft wet-leased from Turkey will end next year, making it clear that the extension granted till March 2026 will be the final one, with no further relaxations.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry said the approval carries a "sunset clause", under which no additional extension will be allowed beyond the current deadline.
The clarification comes months after India withdrew security clearance for Turkish ground handling firm Celebi following Operation Sindoor. The company was forced to exit operations at nine Indian airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. Around the same time, the government had directed IndiGo to return two wide-body aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines by August 31. That deadline was later extended, allowing the airline to continue operating the aircraft till the end of February next year.
On Monday, the aviation ministry also released detailed data on wet-lease arrangements entered by Indian carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet.
According to the data, IndiGo currently operates 15 aircraft on wet lease, of which seven are sourced from Turkish companies. The airline has approval to induct eight more wet-leased aircraft, including five Airbus A320s from Turkey-based Freebird Airlines, which are yet to be brought into service.
IndiGo is operating two Boeing 777 aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines, with approval valid till February 28, 2026. It is also flying five Boeing 737 aircraft leased from Turkey's Corendon Airlines, cleared for operations till March 31, 2026.
SpiceJet, meanwhile, has 17 aircraft operating on wet lease. None of these aircraft is sourced from Turkey.
Explaining the policy rationale, the aviation ministry said wet leasing has been permitted largely in the interest of passengers. It "is a normal practice in the global aviation industry and recently due to grounding of aircraft because of engine related issues and the delays in delivery of aircraft against orders from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), many Indian carriers as a stop gap arrangement are resorting to wet lease from foreign companies in order to serve Indian passengers and also to utilise the rights provided to the Indian carriers under the bilateral service agreements with other countries," the ministry in a statement said.
Many Indian airlines have been compelled to adopt wet lease arrangements in recent times, the ministry noted, "as a temporary measure to maintain flight operations and fully utilise traffic rights under bilateral air service agreements."
The ministry added that IndiGo's final extension for Turkish wet-leased aircraft was granted based on an undertaking submitted by the airline. IndiGo had sought the last extension citing the expected delivery of its long-range Airbus A321-XLR aircraft by February 2026, after which it plans to deploy its own fleet for long-haul operations.
With the sunset clause now in place, the government has signalled that reliance on Turkish wet-leased aircraft will not be allowed to continue beyond the current approval window.
