Airports rush transition as Turkish firm blocked

OPERATORS OF DELHI, MUMBAI, BENGALURU, AHMEDABAD AND GOA AIRPORTS HAVE SAID THEY WERE ENDING TIES WITH CELEBI

- Neha LM Tripathi

NEW DELHI: Major Indian airports are racing to avoid disruptions to services after the government on Thursday revoked the security clearance of Turkish-founded Celebi Aviation, which handles ground-based services in nine major airports, citing national security concerns.

The development comes amid mounting tensions between India and Turkey over the latter's diplomatic and military ties to Pakistan.

Industry analysts suggest that while airport operators appear to have contingency plans in place, the immediate challenge will be maintaining services at the affected airports while new service providers fully assume responsibilities.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said efforts were being made to accommodate Celebi employees with other ground-handling firms to ensure continuity. Celebi has over 10,000 employees in India, according to a company statement.