Turkey Rejects Claims Linking Its Firm To Crashed Air India Dreamliner
Turkey has denied that its firm was involved in the maintenance of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed in Ahmedabad this week. Turkey's Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation said that the claim that the Turkish Technic carried out the maintenance of the Boeing 787-8 passenger aircraft was “false”.
“The claim that the crashed aircraft was maintained by Turkish Technic constitutes disinformation aimed at manipulating public opinion regarding Turkiye-India relations,” it posted on X on Friday, a day after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.
The flight from Ahmedabad crashed into the premises of the BJ Medical College hostel complex moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. One passenger miraculously survived.
“Under the agreements made between Air India and Turkish Technic in 2024 and 2025, maintenance services are provided exclusively for B777-type wide-body aircraft. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in the accident does not fall within the scope of this agreement. To date, Turkish Technic has not conducted maintenance on any Air India aircraft of this type,” it added.
It claimed that it was “aware” of the company that performed the most recent maintenance on the crashed aircraft, but said it was “beyond its scope to make a statement on this matter to avoid further speculation”.
“The Center for Countering Disinformation will continue to monitor and take the necessary measures against efforts that target the reputation of our flagship brands, which represent Türkiye on the international stage. As the people of Türkiye, we sincerely share the grief of the Indian people over this tragic plane crash,” it said.
The statement comes nearly a month after a Turkish firm that handled the services at nine major airports in India lost its security clearance following Turkey's support of Pakistan over Operation Sindoor.
An order from the Civil Aviation Ministry on May 15 said the security clearance for Celebi Ground Handling India Private Limited was “revoked with immediate effect in the interest of national security".
The move came after it was found that a majority of the drones fired by Pakistan at India on May 8 included the Turkey-made Asisguard SONGAR and the Bayraktar TB2, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
Ankara had then faced a massive backlash with many Indian tourists cancelling trips to the West Asian country.
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