Indian Airports Drop Turkish, Chinese Partners Amid Geopolitical Tensions

Indian airports have terminated agreements with Turkish and Chinese firms for their support for Pakistan during the India-Pakistan armed conflict earlier this month. This comes after several Indian travel companies suspended new bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan. 

On Thursday, India revoked the security clearance for Turkey-based Celebi’s airport operations in what it called the “interest of national security.” The company provides airport ground handling services at New Delhi, Kerala, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Goa airports. Shortly after, Delhi airport said it had “officially ended its association” with the company for its ground and cargo operations. In response, Celebi filed a lawsuit against India on Friday. 

Celebi’s operations were replaced by Indian counterparts IndoThai, AISATS, and the Bird Group at Mumbai and Delhi airports overnight. 

Also on Thursday, Adani Airports Holdings said that it was terminating its recent partnership with Chinese company DragonPass, which offers airport lounge access services. The termination came a week after the association started. 

A spokesperson of Adani Airports said that the termination was immediate. Consequently, DragonPass members no longer have access to lounges at Adani-managed seven airports across India. 

A Reuters report on Friday said Air India was lobbying to halt IndiGo’s leasing collaboration with Turkish Airlines. However, Air India has denied these reports. 

Under the agreement, IndiGo received two planes with pilots and some crew from the Turkish flag carrier to operate on New Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul routes. Following the reports, IndiGo has defended its codeshare agreement and leasing tie-up with Turkish Airlines, saying that the arrangement benefits Indian travelers, creates jobs, and supports aviation growth. 

The lease agreement is valid until May 31 this year and is pending government approval for extension. However, a report by Indian news platform NDTV Profit said that the government is unlikely to extend the partnership, which is currently under review. 

Strained Ties: Earlier this month, Turkey and Azerbaijan officially condemned India’s strikes on terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan in response to a terror attack that killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 22. 

U.S. Visa Wait Times Exceed 1 Year for Indians

The wait time in India for tourist visas to the U.S. has now gone back to exceeding a year and that has mostly to do with the demand coming from Indians wanting to visit the U.S. Delays in appointments for B1/B2 visas in Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai range between 7.5 months to 13.5 months, according to the U.S. department of state website. 

There is also a scarcity of priority slots, meant for expedited appointments for urgent cases.

The U.S. government has resumed full visa operations in India, but the demand is outpacing available slots leading to an extreme backlog across consulates.

While the U.S. was witnessing sharp decline in travel interest from others countries, Indians were expressing growing enthusiasm to visit the country, a Skift Research survey showed last month. Indian travelers were the only major group to report a net positive shift in their intent to visit the U.S. over the past 12 months, the report read.

Last year, the U.S. mission in India announced that it had reduced the visa wait times to 250 days in India. 

The U.S. Embassy in India this weekend has also issued an advisory warning Indian citizens against overstaying in the U.S. during their visit. “If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future,” the mission said on X on Saturday.

India Reported Highest Number of Outbound Travelers in 2024

As Indian travelers continued to travel, the country posted its highest number of outbound travelers on record last year, according to the new Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI) report. The report noted that Indian tourists’ top three destinations were Abu Dhabi, Hanoi, and Bali. This growth is supported by increased direct connectivity and a rapidly growing middle class, it said. 

It also noted that tourists from India, along with those from Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, are sensitive to exchange rate fluctuations. “A 1% depreciation of the United States Dollar (USD) against their local currencies corresponds to an approximate 0.6–0.8% increase in the number of tourists traveling to the U.S.,” it said, adding that these travelers are more responsive to exchange rate movements while selecting outbound destinations. 

Oyo Reports 20% Growth in Corporate Clients

Indian hospitality company Oyo reported a 20% year-on-year surge in its corporate client base during the 2024-25 financial year. Oyo said it added 3,500 new corporate clients through the year, with its network now consisting of over 6,500 corporate clients. 

In a statement, Oyo said that its corporate travel business received a significant boost after the launch of Oravel Travel Solutions in October last year. Oravel Travel Solutions is a dedicated B2B platform through which the company aims to capture the burgeoning corporate travel business.

Oyo further noted that it has recorded a surge in long stays and event-based stays with the corporate clients.

IndiGo Adds 3 New Flights to the Gulf Region

IndiGo has announced three new international routes between India and the Gulf region. The carrier is set to commence flights connecting Kochi and Hyderabad to Bahrain. It will also operate on the Chennai-Muscat route. 

All of these routes are set to commence next month. The three routes improve IndiGo’s connectivity from South India to the Gulf region. The announcements come weeks after the airline launched new services to Abu Dhabi from Madurai, Bhubaneswar, and Visakhapatnam. 

Skift had reported last year that India’s rising significance in the Middle East is leading to airlines from India as well as the region to add frequencies and new routes to enhance connectivity. 

Mizoram Witnesses 114% Surge in Tourism

The Northeastern state of Mizoram received nearly 470,000 tourists during the 2024-25 financial year through February, according to data released by the Mizoram Tourism Department. This was more than double the number of tourist footfalls in the state the year prior. The 114% surge is significant even as the data for March 2025 remains to be compiled.

The data showed that the over 464,000 tourists visiting the state were domestic travelers, while a little over 5,000 international tourists visited the state. Foreign travelers included those from the U.S., UK, China, Japan, and Germany. Most tourists visited the state for business, the officials said.