In the wake of the Centre’s decision to revoke the security clearance of Turkey-headquartered airport ground handling major Çelebi, Adani group-operated Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports have terminated ground handling concession agreements with Çelebi, and have directed the company to immediately hand over all its ground handling facilities in order to ensure uninterrupted operations at the airports, according to a statement by the two airports.
The announcement from these two airports came after International Airport Ltd (DIAL) on Thursday for ground handling and cargo operations at the Capital’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
“We will continue to provide seamless service to all airlines without disruptions through new ground handling agencies selected by us. All existing employees of Celebi at CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, ) and SVPIA (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, ) will be transferred to new ground handling agencies on their existing terms and conditions of employment. Ground handling operations at our airports will remain unaffected,” the spokespersons for the two airports said.
IGI Airport operator DIAL had also said that it was working with other ground handling players and cargo handlers to ensure “continuity and operational stability”. DIAL also assured that all employees currently on the rolls of Çelebi entities for cargo and ground handling services at IGI Airport will be transitioned to the new employers.
Amid the backlash in India over Turkey’s support for Pakistan in the in the India-Pakistan conflict, India’s aviation security regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Thursday revoked the security clearance of an Indian arm — Çelebi Airport Services India — of Istanbul-headquartered airport ground handling major Çelebi Aviation Holding on grounds related to “national security”. The revocation also applies to other associate entities of Çelebi in India. Defending itself, Çelebi Airport Services India said that it is “truly an Indian enterprise” led and managed by Indian professionals, and is “not a Turkish organisation by any standard”.
The decision effectively brings Çelebi’s India operations to a halt, and airports and airlines that were working with Çelebi are turning to the other major ground handling players in India’s aviation sector like AI Airport Services, Air India SATS Airport Services, and the Bird group. Ground handling refers to operations that are critical for flights to be prepared and operated. These include passenger handling and check-in, baggage handling, cargo handling and management, aircraft servicing and maintenance, ramp services, and catering.
Çelebi provided ground handling services to various international and domestic airlines operating out of nine airports—Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kannur, , , Ahmedabad, , and Goa (Mopa). According to information on Çelebi Aviation Holding’s website, its India operations span 58,000 flights and 5.4 lakh tonnes of cargo annually. Çelebi said it directly employs over 10,000 Indians and has contributed over $220 million in long-term infrastructure investments in India.
The past few days have seen a growing clamour for a travel boycott of Turkey and review of Turkish firms’ presence in India. Apart from Ankara’s open support for Islamabad amid the India-Pakistan military conflagration of last week, widespread use of Turkish drones by Pakistan in operations against India has added to the disapproval for Turkey in India. Questions were also raised on Çelebi from some quarters, as the company operated at a number of Indian airports, which are seen as part of critical and security-related infrastructure.
In a media statement, Çelebi Airport Services India Thursday said that it is a globally operated aviation services company with no political links or affiliation, and is majority-owned by international institutional investors. The company also termed as “factually incorrect” the allegations about its ownership that have been doing rounds on social media. These include the claim that Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar—daughter of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—is a part owner in Çelebi. The company categorically rejected this claim.
