President Erdogan’s daughter Sumeyye gets punished for Turkey’s support to Pakistan, is she a part of….
The Indian government has withdrawn the security clearance of Çelebi Airport Services India Ltd, a company owned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s daughter, Sumeyye Bayraktar. This move comes amid growing tensions over Turkey’s open support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Sumeyye, 39, is a businesswoman and reportedly the co-owner of Çelebi Aviation, which operates ground handling services at several major airports across India. These include key locations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Kochi, and Kanpur.
If media reports are to be believed, Sunil Yadav, the Joint Director (Operations) of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), issued an order cancelling the company’s security clearance with immediate effect. Without this clearance, Çelebi can no longer legally handle sensitive airport operations in India.
Çelebi Airport Services India was responsible for a range of activities including managing passengers, flight operations, cargo loading, and providing support to general aviation. The company’s operations in India began with a joint venture at Mumbai Airport, later expanding into full-fledged ground and cargo handling services at Delhi Airport.
Bayraktar drones and Turkey-Pakistan nexus
Sumeyye Bayraktar, is married to Selcuk Bayraktar, a prominent defense entrepreneur and the son of Ozdemir Bayraktar. Selcuk heads Baykar Defense, the company that produces the Bayraktar Akinci drones, advanced unmanned aerial vehicles used for military operations.
These drones were supplied to Pakistan, and during Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Air Force launched over 500 Bayraktar drones targeting key Indian air bases over a span of just two days. Fortunately, Indian defense forces intercepted and shot down all of them, preventing any damage. However, the incident revealed the deep military cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan.
It also raised serious concerns about how President Erdogan and his close family members have directly benefited from international defense deals.
Celebi Aviation India denies allegations of Turkish political links
Following the cancellation of its security clearance by Indian authorities, Celebi Aviation India has strongly denied all claims linking the company to Turkish political figures or President Erdogan’s family.
In response to widespread social media speculation, the company issued a statement calling the allegations “false and misleading.” It firmly stated that it has no political connections or ownership ties with Sumeyye Erdogan. “There is no one named Sumeyye who owns any part of our parent company,” Celebi clarified. “The ownership lies solely with the Celebioglu family, Can Celebioglu and Canan Celebioglu, who are not involved in politics. We are a professionally managed, international aviation services company.”
The statement highlighted that Celebi is not a politically influenced Turkish entity and operates with transparency and neutrality. It said the company is commitment to international standards of corporate governance and ethical practices.
To clarify its ownership structure, the company revealed that 65 per cent of its parent firm is held by major institutional investors from countries like Canada, the USA, the UK, Singapore, the UAE, and across Western Europe. Among them, Actera Partners II L.P., a fund based in Jersey, owns 50 per cent of Celebi Havacılık Holding A.S., while 15 per cent is owned by Alpha Airport Services BV, a firm registered in the Netherlands.
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