Latest news with #AircraftRules
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Delhi HC reserves order on Celebi's petition against revocation of security clearance
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India, which is challenging the Centre government's decision to cancel its security clearance. This move had led to the firm being removed from its duties at the airports in Delhi and Mumbai. The government decided a recent four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, during which Turkey had publicly supported Pakistan. In response, Celebi approached the HC, claiming that the cancellation was unfair and that it was not given a proper chance to defend itself. Justice Sachin Datta reserved the decision after hearing final arguments from Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Celebi in court. Rohatgi argued that the company had been punished without being told clearly what it had done wrong. He said that according to Indian aviation rules, especially Rule 12 of the Aircraft Rules, 2023, a company should receive a fair warning and a proper explanation before such strict action is taken. He told the court that the government must explain its reasons in writing, not just keep them to itself. 'You cannot punish a company like this without saying what it is being punished for,' he explained.
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Delhi HC reserves judgment on Celebi Airport services' security clearance case
New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its judgment on the plea filed by Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd, challenging the aviation regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety's (BCAS) decision to revoke its security clearance, citing 'national security' concerns. Justice Sachin Datta reserved the order after hearing extensive arguments from both sides. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that he would submit written arguments by the following day. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Celebi, contended that Rule 12 of the Aircraft Rules, 2013, is legally binding unless specifically overturned by Parliament. He argued that security-related regulations must be strictly followed, leaving no room for arbitrary government decisions. Rohatgi emphasised that officials must adhere to due process, including holding a proper hearing, providing written reasons, and ensuring reasonable grounds for action--none of which were followed in this case. He further asserted that the power to issue directions is distinct from the power to cancel or revoke security clearance, making the government's decision unlawful. Highlighting the consequences, he stated that the revocation of security clearance has led to the cancellation of Celebi's contracts with airport operators nationwide. He noted that operators are simply complying with directives from Delhi, leaving Celebi with no recourse. He stressed that the clearance was the foundation of their agreements with DIAL, MIAL, Adani, and others, and without it, their business is unravelling. On Thursday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, argued that the government's plenary superintendence powers extend to national and airport security. He described the case as a 'sui generis' matter, requiring careful judicial scrutiny due to potential security threats across multiple airports. Mehta underscored the importance of aviation security laws in preventing incidents like explosions at airports or onboard aircraft. He explained Celebi's role in airport ground handling, which grants access to sensitive flight and VIP data, making security clearance crucial. Defending the revocation, Mehta stated that intelligence inputs raised concerns over Celebi's operations, particularly in passenger and cargo handling. He argued that certain security-related decisions cannot always be fully disclosed, as revealing classified information could compromise national interests. On Wednesday, Rohatgi emphasised that Celebi has operated in India for 17 years, employing over 10,000 personnel across various airports. He argued that the abrupt revocation of the company's security clearance--initially granted in 2022 for a five-year term--was done without prior notice or a hearing, violating procedural fairness. Rohatgi suggested that the Turkish shareholding in Celebi may have influenced the government's decision, but maintained that Celebi's workforce consists solely of Indian nationals and has no political affiliations with Turkey. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu recently assured measures to protect affected employees and maintain stability in airport operations. The ministry reaffirmed that the revocation was necessary to safeguard national security while ensuring uninterrupted airport functioning. (ANI)
India Today
18-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Why India grounding Turkish aviation firm Celebi is a seismic security shift
Turning on the diplomatic heat in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, India has revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services, a Turkish aviation ground ruling applies to Celebi's operations at nine of the country's busiest airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, where the company carried out sensitive assignments, such as cargo logistics and handling of official reason: national security. But underneath are layers of geopolitical unease, a turning over of India's security doctrine, and economic rebalancing in a region where diplomacy is often bound up with military revocation, announced by India's aviation security regulator, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), states that the presence of Celebi in secure airside areas may not be safe. Celebi's aviation security clearance, under Rule 11 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, with effect from December 2, 2019, 'has been suspended indefinitely', the BCAS said in its May 15 in Istanbul, Celebi has over 10,000 employees globally, about 7,800 of them in India alone. It handles over 58,000 flights and 540,000 tonnes of cargo every year in the country. At Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, it has nearly 70 per cent of the ground-handling business. In other words, Celebi isn't your average retailer. It's a part of the Indian airport ecosystem—and uprooting it is no small company had it coming. It all followed Turkey's open political and military backing of Pakistan in the recent flare-up with India. And whether it is drones and surveillance systems or other ammunition, Turkey has for long been Pakistan's ally vis-a-vis the four-day military offensive, more than 350 Turkish-manufactured Bayraktar TB2 and Asisguard Songar drones were sent to Pakistan and used to undertake large-scale strikes on Indian military and civilian the airport ecosystem, ground handling is more than just marshalling planes and logistics. It encompasses load control, cargo security checks, passenger document checks and logistics coordination in sterile airport areas. India's aviation security mandarins say that at a time when crucial systems can be breached just as easily with a crowbar as with a computer, every access badge is a potential access have been no specific reports of any wrongdoing by Celebi India so far, but the government action appears to be one based more on preemption than on a sense of response. India's new security doctrine is that it considers terror attacks against it as acts of no easy to task to fill in the shoes of an entity as big as Celebi. At large airports like Delhi and Mumbai, unable to deal with increased load in a post-pandemic world, any operational vacuum is liable to snowball into delays, bottlenecks and reduced service airport operators, such as the GMR Group and Adani Group, are holding eleventh-hour talks to assign Celebi's slots to other licenced ground-handling companies. It is unclear how quickly that shift can happen. Airlines, especially those relying on Celebi's integrated services, will likely also need to overhaul contracts and workflow Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, operator DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) has stepped in to manage the transition, coordinating with existing ground-handling providers AISATS and Bird Group to maintain service continuity. For cargo operations, a pre-approved handler is being onboarded to avoid disruptions. DIAL has also assured that all elebi employees will be retained under new employers without any change in their terms of civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu has asserted that national security will always take precedence over commercial interests. 'Nothing is above the security of our nation and our fellow citizens,' he said, underlining that public safety is 'paramount and non-negotiable'.At the same time, the government is working to ensure that passenger experience and cargo operations remain uninterrupted. 'We are deploying special teams to oversee operations and address any emerging issues in real time,' the minister said. He added that the ministry is coordinating closely with airport operators to ensure a smooth transition and making efforts to safeguard the jobs of Celebi elebi has rejected what it calls 'misleading and factually incorrect' allegations circulating on social media about its ownership and political affiliations. The company clarified it is majority-owned by international institutional investors based in Canada, the US, the UK, and other countries, and is managed entirely by Indian professionals. 'We are not a Turkish organisation by any standard,' the company said, adding that it has operated in India for over 15 years, employs more than 10,000 Indians, and has invested over $220 million in aviation supporters on social media have been alleging that the firm has links to the family of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. elebi denied this, stating unequivocally that 'no one named Smeyye owns any shareholding in the parent organisation', and that the Turkish shareholding is limited to two founding family members with no political disallowing Chinese telecos and ramping up scrutiny for investment from countries with which India shares 'land borders', the government has been unapologetically direct in its recalibration of the economic engagement with national security as the new to that list now is Turkey—not yet formally, but ideologically. India is also a burgeoning alliance with Turkish geopolitical foes such as Greece, Cyprus and Israel. advertisementRevocation of security clearance of a ground handler of a foreign country is rare. In sectors such as telecom and energy, governments are pulling access rights or contracts all over the place when it comes to national security. Aviation is no different, especially since 9/11. Nevertheless, such revocations are typically sets the Celebi case apart is that the company has faced no trouble in India for over a decade since it began operating in the country. Its removal despite a perfectly clean record is an indication of India shifting its security doctrine from reactive to preventive. It also underlines Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new mantra: trade and terror cannot go on together. Subscribe to India Today Magazine
