ixigo Suspends Turkey, Azerbaijan & China Bookings in Solidarity with India Amid Tensions with Pakistan

Travel and booking platform ixigo on Saturday announced the suspension of all flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, Azerbaijan and China in solidarity with India following the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a post on X, ixigo’s managing director and chief executive officer, Aloke Bajpai, stated: “Enough is Enough! Blood and bookings won’t flow together. We are suspending all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, China and Azerbaijan on ixigo.”

ixigo also posted on X: “In solidarity with our nation, ixigo is suspending flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, Azerbaijan and China. Because when it comes to Bharat, we don’t think twice. Jai Hind.”

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, several online travel booking platforms, including Cox & Kings and Travomint, suspended all vacation package sales to countries such as Turkey and Azerbaijan in support of a boycott against nations perceived to back Pakistan.

EaseMyTrip Statement

Following Operation Sindoor, Turkey, China and Azerbaijan publicly supported Pakistan and condemned India’s military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Their solidarity with Pakistan sparked outrage among Indian social-media users, who called for a boycott of these three countries.

India is an emerging market for tourism growth in Turkey and Azerbaijan. In a post on X today, EaseMyTrip co-founder and promoter Nishant Pitti highlighted India’s significant contribution to these countries’ economies, urging travellers to reconsider visiting nations that support Pakistan.

Pitti stated that 287,000 and 243,000 Indians visited Turkey and Azerbaijan respectively last year. He noted that tourism accounts for 12 % of Turkey’s GDP and 7.6 % of Azerbaijan’s GDP.

“Should we feed Pakistan’s tourism and economy if these countries openly support it? Every rupee we spend abroad represents a vote. Let’s spend it where our values are respected,” Pitti said.