In a significant development following a fresh wave of diplomatic tensions, Indian travel accommodation brand Go Homestays has officially severed its partnership with Turkish Airlines, citing the latter’s “unsupportive stance towards India.”
The decision is made in the wake of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s controversial statements during his visit to Pakistan, when he openly supported Pakistan’s stance on the issue of Kashmir.
The controversy gained momentum after Erdoğan, in conversations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commended Pakistan’s “calm and restrained” approach in the aftermath of India’s precision military strikes on terror camps across the border. These airstrikes were conducted by India on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 Indian tourists.
The Turkish President’s words have sparked a fierce backlash on Indian social media, with thousands of users echoing calls to boycott Turkish Airlines and Turkish tourism. Hashtags such as #BoycottTurkishAirlines and #IndiaFirst were trending all day, with netizens calling for Indian businesses to rethink ties with Turkish and Azerbaijani players.
Go Homestays, in a public post on X (formerly Twitter), announced:
“We are officially ending our partnership with Turkish Airlines due to their unsupportive stance towards India. Going forward, we will no longer include their flights in our international travel packages. Jai Hind.”
This move was greeted with an outpour of online support, celebrating the brand’s nationalist stance. Many Indian users welcomed other travel websites to make similar moves, compelling them to delete Turkish and Azerbaijani listings in support of the national sentiment.
The cutting of business links is being seen as a symbolic but effective reaction from the Indian business community, highlighting how foreign policy stances are increasingly shaping global business alliances. While no official Indian government directive has been issued regarding Turkish businesses, public opinion appears to be steering corporate decisions in this context.
The diplomatic fallout has also added strain to the already fragile India-Turkey relationship, previously tested by Turkey’s recurrent support for Pakistan on global platforms like the UN.
As of now, Turkish Airlines has not issued any official statement regarding the partnership termination or the boycott calls circulating online.
