News / Threat to airport operations as India revokes security clearance for handler Çelebi

Photo: Celebi

Airport operations in India could face new challenges, after Çelebi Aviation, a part Turkish-owned ground handler, had its security clearance revoked.

Although conflict between India and Pakistan ended with a tentative ceasefire last week, the political reverberations continue.

Businesses and trade verticals linked to Turkey are now facing the heat of Indian government reprisals and public boycotts over claims/concerns that the Turkish establishment had extended arms and other friendly support to Pakistan during the stand-off.

Thus: “The security clearance [of Çelebi Aviation] is revoked with immediate effect in the interest of national security,” announced India’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Çelebi has cemented its Indian presence in the past few years, with ground/cargo handling contracts at nine airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore terminals, and is believed to have employed some 10,000 people throughout the network.

According to available information, Çelebi has Indian entities: Çelebi Airport Services India for ground handling operations; and Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India for cargo services at Delhi.

Following the withdrawal of security clearance, most airports swiftly revoked their contracts with the handler.

Following the ban, Indian authorities said all efforts were being made to keep airport operations as smooth as possible, for both passenger and cargo traffic. India’s minister for civil aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, said: “We are also deploying special teams to oversee operations and address any emerging issues.”

But Çelebi Aviation India quickly questioned scrutiny over its ownership structure, saying all allegations were “misleading and factually incorrect”. And it claimed it remained majority owned by international institutional investors across the globe.

“Çelebi’s business in India is truly an Indian enterprise, led and managed by Indian professionals, deeply invested in the country, and committed to its growth,” it said.

“We are not a Turkish organisation by any standard, and adhere fully to globally accepted practices of corporate governance, transparency, and neutrality, with no political affiliations or links to any foreign government or individuals.”

The potential threat of airport service disruption comes as Indian air freight stakeholders are already complaining about delays due to enhanced security measures in place in the wake of the recent military tension.

Some forwarders complained air freight shipments were facing longer wait times at several airports due to additional checks and terminal congestion.  As many as 32 Indian airports, mostly secondary, were ordered to close operations last week for security reasons, when war tension was high.

Export/import trade with Turkey is now facing a national backlash in India, with widespread calls for boycotts of Turkish products and travel bookings to the country.

North Indian traders regularly importing marble items from Turkey, a trade pegged at some $400m annually, appear to be the group leading that campaign.

Two-way trade between India and Turkey stood at some $10bn in fiscal year 2023-24, according to available data.  And both sides were pushing to expand volumes.

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