Indian sentiment rises against Turkish aviation firms like Çelebi and IndiGo due to Turkey’s perceived support of Pakistan, leading to calls for ending partnerships.
A growing wave of opposition is building in India against Turkish companies operating in the aviation sector, fuelled by Turkey’s perceived support of Pakistan’s actions. This sentiment has led to calls for the termination of business relationships with these firms.
Shiv Sena leader Murji Patel led a delegation to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) on Tuesday, urging the airport authority to sever its ties with Çelebi NAS Airport Services. Çelebi currently handles approximately 70% of ground operations at Mumbai’s airport. The Shiv Sena, under the late Balasaheb Thackeray, had previously opposed Çelebi’s entry into India, citing security concerns.
Çelebi’s presence in India is substantial. Operating as Çelebi Airport Services India for ground handling and Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India for cargo services, the company has established a presence at nine stations across the country over the past decade. These include key airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa (GOX), Ahmedabad, and Chennai. Çelebi’s operations span a wide range of critical airport functions, from passenger services, load control, and flight operations to ramp services, general aviation services, cargo and postal services, warehouses, and bridge operations, giving the company access to sensitive areas within the airports.
Aviation consultant Sanjay Lazar highlighted the history of this issue, tweeting, “The Turkish company Celebi was granted security clearance, ironically at the peak of post-26/11 events, when the UPA government was in power… Since then, whenever the issue has surfaced due to India-Turkey problems, they have tried to cover up their Turkish ownership by talking about the parent being owned by private equity companies.”
Çelebi is not the only aviation company facing backlash. IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is also experiencing significant social media turbulence. IndiGo has code-share partnerships with Turkish Airlines and Corendon Airlines and leases aircraft from both for its domestic and international routes. Furthermore, IndiGo operates daily flights between Delhi and Mumbai and Istanbul.
Air India Express is also facing scrutiny. The airline signed a deal with Turkish Technic in February for the maintenance of its Boeing 737 fleet.
Source: BT
