Jolt to Çelebi could turn a big gain for this Indian firm that once had deep Turkish ties
There's a photo from 2008 that few at GMR would forget: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and GMR Group chairman GM Rao standing on a dais in Istanbul, shaking hands as Rao nods along while Erdogan speaks. At the time, GMR — now the operator of Delhi, Hyderabad, and Goa airports at home, with global presence including in Greece, Indonesia, and the Philippines — had just struck a joint venture with a Turkish firm to develop Sabiha
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India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Turkish Airlines in safety violation whirlwind in India: What inspections revealed
India's aviation regulator has cited a series of safety violations by Turkish Airlines at four of the country's busiest airports. Coming amidst the chill in ties with Turkey following Operation Sindoor, the seemingly routine compliance check is also being viewed in the light of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out Safety Oversight/Ramp (SOFA/RAMP) inspections of Turkish Airlines' passenger and cargo flights from May 29 to June 2 at Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. The inspections were part of an existing surveillance regime by India under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules. These came within days of the government withdrawing security clearance for Celebi Airport Services, another Turkish-linked company, due to national threat the DGCA discovered was a catalog of violations. At Bengaluru, the ground marshaller was not properly authorised or in possession of a valid competency card—a primary requirement for anyone guiding aircraft movement on the tarmac. At the very same airport, an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) approved to certify was found absent during aircraft arrival. Instead, a technician performed the work, which skirted a required engineering review. Air Works is the contract recipient in India for providing these services to Turkish cargo inspections showed that dangerous goods, including explosives, were being loaded without proper clearance from the DGCA. Relevant permissions were not appended or referred to in the Dangerous Goods Declaration. Such breaches violate both domestic laws and ICAO guidelines. Turkish Airlines was found flying from Hyderabad and Bengaluru without a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with ground handler Globe Ground India. There was a 'disregard of standard operating procedures', with equipment such as GPUs (Ground Power Units), steps, and ladders not being recorded or signed after use, showing a lack of basic operational discipline, the inspection report says. There was also no handover after Celebi's departure, creating a vacuum that, to all appearances, has never been safety audit comes amid a wider crackdown on Turkish interests in India in the aftermath of Ankara's strident support for Pakistan and reports about Turkish military advisors in Pakistan and its drones being used to mount Pakistani operations against India during Operation Sindoor. Turkish Airlines is now sucked into the inspections were carried out as part of the DGCA's ramp surveillance programme, as per ICAO practices and regional safety efforts. India is a member of the Asia-Pacific Ramp Inspection Programme (AP-RIP) and shares some findings with European aviation authorities. Ramp checks are standard procedure, but they are increasingly central to India's aviation stance—and with so much foreign, wet-leased aircraft traffic post-COVID, this is only set to 2023 ICAO USOAP audit rating of 85.49 was largely due to surveillance and ramp oversight being its main strengths. However, as this episode demonstrates, technical inspections can also be silent levers of signalling. "Turkish Airlines has been asked to correct the deviations and take actions that are compatible with the DGCA and ICAO regulations,' an official statement said. It requires that further aircraft health checks be carried out. But paperwork aside, the message is already in the to India Today MagazineMust Watch advertisement
Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Economic Times
Why did Archana Puran Singh's husband, Parmeet Sethi, apologise to Anil Kapoor at Istanbul airport?
Parmeet Sethi has shared the screen with actor Anil Kapoor in Dil Dhadakne Do, directed by Zoya Akhtar. Even behind the scenes, Dil Dhadakne Do was every bit the chaotic, heartfelt adventure that played out on screen. As the film marks its 10th anniversary, actor Parmeet Sethi, who played Lalit Sood, shared a lighthearted memory that perfectly captures the spirit of the film—one involving a missed flight, a language mix-up, and a very forgiving Anil speaking to SCREEN, Parmeet Sethi recounted an amusing travel mishap involving Anil Kapoor during the Dil Dhadakne Do shoot. The two were flying to Barcelona with a layover in Istanbul. Relaxing in the business class lounge, Parmeet checked the flight display, written in Turkish and mistakenly assumed they had ample time before unhurried, they decided to unwind further in the spa's sauna. However, a lounge staffer soon came looking for them, alerting them that their flight was about to depart. Wrapped in towels, the actors rushed out, changed clothes in a frenzy, and sprinted through the vast airport. Despite their efforts, the boarding gate had already closed. The unexpected detour meant an overnight stay in Istanbul. While Parmeet felt responsible and apologetic, Anil Kapoor remained calm and understanding, acknowledging that it wasn't entirely his fault. This off-screen mishap mirrors the humour and heart of Dil Dhadakne Do, which tells the story of the Mehra family's dramatic 10-day cruise. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, the film featured a stellar cast including Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, and Farhan Akhtar, with narration by Aamir Khan. Ten years later, the film is still loved and cherished by fans.
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
‘Stay Home': Dhruv Rathee On Indian Content Creator's Misconduct With Woman
Last Updated: Dhruv Rathee's video on the Malik Swashbuckler row also spotlighted other incidents of Indian tourists misbehaving abroad. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has strongly criticised Indian influencers who display inappropriate behaviour towards women or disregard basic civic norms while travelling abroad. His remarks come in the wake of the controversy surrounding Malik SD Khan, also known as Malik Swashbuckler, who faced widespread backlash videos in which he made offensive comments and behaved disrespectfully towards women in Turkey surfaced online. The situation escalated to the point where he was reportedly detained by Turkish authorities, sparking renewed debate about responsible conduct among Indian content creators and tourists overseas. 'Indian tourists are destroying India's reputation," wrote Rathee in a strongly worded post accompanying a video on Instagram. The video opens with a disturbing clip from one of Malik SD Khan's posts, where he shockingly asks viewers if he should intoxicate and assault a Turkish woman. As the reel continues, Rathee includes other clips showing Indian tourists behaving inappropriately and disrespecting locals abroad, highlighting a troubling pattern that he says is tarnishing the country's global image. In his video, the YouTuber also highlighted recent incidents involving Indian tourists behaving irresponsibly abroad, such as men being caught urinating in the sea in Thailand, and a tourist dangerously reaching out of his car to touch a lion during a safari. Calling out such reckless behaviour, Rathee urged content creators to stay home if they couldn't act with basic decency while travelling. 'Tameez nahi hai to ghar pe raho," he firmly stated, underscoring the damage such actions do to India's global image. Shared on June 4, the video has already racked up over 22.3 million views, sparking widespread conversation online. Viewers flooded the comments section, with many applauding Rathee for calling out inappropriate behaviour and urging content creators to act more responsibly while representing India abroad. A user raised a valid point, asking, 'As viewers, shouldn't we also take responsibility? Why do people even give views to such disgraceful content?" Another praised Rathee's honesty, writing, 'Bro is speaking facts." A comment read, '100% sahi hai bhai, ye jahil logon ki wajah se har country mein desh ka naam kharab ho raha hai," highlighting how such behaviour damages India's image worldwide. Another chimed in, 'You're absolutely right. Glad someone had the courage to speak up." The overall sentiment echoed frustration and support, with many calling for greater accountability, both from content creators and audiences alike.
