Latest news with #CelebiAirportServices
India.com
23-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
We Have Maintained Status Quo: Civil Aviation Minister Naidu After India Extends Airspace Ban On Pakistan Flights
After India extended the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting its airspace for Pakistani aircraft and airlines till June 23, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Friday that the government has "maintained the status quo" on the matter. Naidu said the government has simply maintained the existing status. "The NOTAM has been extended. We have maintained the status quo..." he told reporters. This comes amid heightened security considerations and recent incidents involving Pakistani airspace. Separately, on the revocation of security clearance to Turkish firm Celebi Airport Services, the Civil Aviation Minister assured that airport operations across the country remain unaffected. "For the time being, on grounds of national security, we've removed the Turkish players from ground handling services, cargo are not seeing any problem in the operations. We are going to take guidance from the security agencies in this regard..." he said. Celebi was responsible for handling about 70 per cent of ground operations at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, including passenger handling, load control, cargo services, postal services, warehouse management, and bridge operations. It also operated at multiple airports across India. Earlier in the day, India announced the extension of the ban on closure of its airspace for Pakistani aircraft till June 23. India has extended NOTAM for Pakistan flights for one month, which will be in effect till June 23, 2025. The Ministry stated, "Indian airspace is not approved for ACFTs registered in Pakistan and ACFTs operated/owned or leased by Pakistani airlines/operators, including military flights." Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that IndiGo's Delhi-Srinagar flight (6E 2142), which was caught in a sudden hailstorm near Pathankot on May 21, was denied entry into Pakistani airspace, which was sought by the pilot to avoid turbulence. According to the crew's statement to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot's request was dismissed by the Lahore Air Traffic Control. "On 21.05.2025, Indigo A321 Neo aircraft VT-IMD operated flight 6E-2142 (Delhi -Srinagar). While cruising at FL360, aircraft entered hailstorm and severe turbulence near Pathankot. As per the crew statement, they requested Northern control (IAF) for deviation towards left (International Border) due to weather on the route; however, it was not approved," the DGCA said." Later, the crew contacted Lahore to enter their airspace to avoid the weather, but the same was refused too," it added.
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
Reuters
16-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Turkey's Celebi sues India over 'vague' clearance pullback amid Pakistan conflict
NEW DELHI, May 16 (Reuters) - Turkey-based Celebi, a provider of airport ground handling in India, has launched a legal challenge to New Delhi's decision to overturn its security clearance, arguing in a court filing that "vague" national security concerns were cited without reasoning. Amid growing public anger in India about Turkey's stance on Pakistan in the India-Pakistan conflict, the Indian government on Thursday revoked Celebi's security clearance in the "interest of national security." Celebi Airport Services India, in a May 16 filing seen by Reuters, asked the Delhi High Court to set aside that decision, arguing it would impact 3,791 jobs and investor confidence, and was issued without any warning to the company. "Mere rhetoric of national security without elaborating upon in what manner is an entity a threat to national security is unsustainable in law," the company said in the filing, which is not public. Its details have not previously been reported. India's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case is likely to be heard on Monday. In its filing, Celebi also said its shareholders were registered in Turkey, but the "majority end control" is held by companies of global repute who do not have Turkish incorporation or origin.
Business Recorder
16-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
India revokes Celebi security clearance over Turkiye support for Pakistan
NEW DELHI: India revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India, a unit of Turkiye Celebi, with immediate effect, citing national security concerns, the country's civil aviation ministry said in an order on Thursday. New Delhi's decision came a day after travel booking firms said Indians were cancelling holidays in popular resorts in Turkiye and Azerbaijan following the countries' support for Pakistan during the recent conflict with India. Celebi Aviation Holding, the parent of Celebi Airport Services, whose website says it operates ground handling services at nine airports in India including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, was not immediately available for a comment. India blocks Turkish broadcaster TRT World's X account The operator of Delhi International Airport said it was working with existing airport ground handling service providers AISATS and Brid Group after it cut ties with Celebi. Murlidhar Mohol, India's deputy civil aviation minister, said the government had received requests from across India to ban Celebi Airport Services without providing details. 'Recognising the seriousness of the issue and the call to protect national interests, we have taken cognizance of these requests and Ministry of Civil Aviation has revoked security clearance of the said company,' Mohol said on X. The Shiv Sena party, a key ally in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, had held protests against Celebi in Mumbai this week, demanding the city's airport sever ties with the Turkiye company. Deadly fighting broke out between India and Pakistan last week after New Delhi struck what it said were 'terrorist camps' in Pakistan in retaliation for an attack in Illegally Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir last month that killed 26 men, which it said was backed by Islamabad. Pakistan denied involvement, but both countries sent missiles and drones targeting each other's military installations in the days that followed. The nuclear-armed neighbours reached a truce on Saturday that has largely held. Turkiye and Azerbaijan, popular budget holiday destinations for Indians, issued statements backing Islamabad after India's strikes. A top Indian university, the Jawaharlal Nehru University in the capital New Delhi, said it has suspended an academic agreement with a Turkiye university. 'Due to national security considerations, the MoU (memorandum of understanding) between JNU and Inonu University, Turkiye stands suspended until further notice,' JNU said on X. Separately, Adani Airport Holdings said it was terminating its arrangement with Chinese lounge access provider DragonPass, announced last week, without specifying the reason.
Express Tribune
16-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
India revokes Turkish firm's contract
India revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India, a unit of Turkey's Celebi, with immediate effect, citing national security concerns, the country's civil aviation ministry said in an order on Thursday. New Delhi's decision came a day after travel booking firms said Indians were cancelling holidays in popular resorts in Turkey and Azerbaijan following the countries' support for Pakistan during the recent conflict with India. Celebi Aviation Holding, the parent of Celebi Airport Services, whose website says it operates ground handling services at nine airports in India including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, was not immediately available for a comment. The operator of Delhi International Airport said it was working with existing airport ground handling service providers AISATS and Brid Group after it cut ties with Celebi. Murlidhar Mohol, India's deputy civil aviation minister, said the government had received requests from across India to ban Celebi Airport Services without providing details.
