Mumbai News: Adani Airport Holdings Terminates Ties With Turkish Firm Celebi And Chinese DragonPass Over Security Concerns; Celebi Asserts It’s an Indian Company
Mumbai: While the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) acted on front foot against Turkish company Celebi, Indian airport operating company Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) also terminated its association with Chinese company DragonPass along with Celebi. However, Celebi refuted the claims of ownership by the Turkish prime minister’s daughter and reaffirmed its commitment to the Indian aviation sector.
Turkey and Azerbaijan are facing widespread criticism from across the country for expressing solidarity with Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the killing of 26 tourists in a terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
Amid this criticism, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Thursday revoked the security clearance of the Turkish ground handling services company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd. citing national security interest.
Following the ministry’s action, airport operators also announced breaking ties with the Turkish company. GMR Airports Ltd. terminated the ground handling concession agreements with Celebi at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and AAHL terminated the agreement with the Turkish company at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
“Celebi has been directed to immediately hand over to us all ground handling facilities to ensure uninterrupted operations. We will continue to provide seamless service to all airlines without disruptions through new ground handling agencies selected by us. All existing employees of Celebi at CSMIA and SVPIA will be transferred to the new ground handling agencies on their existing terms and conditions of employment,” said a spokesperson of AAHL.
Celebi Says Established In Turkey But Not A Turkish Organisation
Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd. refuted allegations regarding its ownership and operations in India. In a statement, Celebi Aviation India claimed that it is majority-owned (65%) by international institutional investors from across Canada, US, UK, Singapore, UAE, and Western Europe. It claimed that a Jersey-registered fund Actera Partners II L.P. holds 50% ownership in Celebi Havacilik Holding.
While Celebi claimed that it is not a Turkish organisation by any standard, it also stated that the company was originally established in 1958 in Turkey and the founding Celebioglu family, which holds 35% stakes in the company, are also Turkish. It claimed that Çelebi's business in India is an Indian enterprise, led and managed by Indian professionals.
“In India, Celebi has proudly operated for over 15 years and is a key player in the private ground handling sector. We directly employ over 10,000 Indians, supporting the livelihood of thousands of families, and have contributed more than USD 220 million in long-term infrastructure investments. We operate at nine of India's busiest airports and are an essential part of the nation's aviation ecosystem,” said the company in an official statement.
Additionally, it also refuted the claim that Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s daughter Sumeyye is a part owner. It said that nobody named Sümeyye owned any shareholding in the parent organisation. It also added that the members of the founding family have no political affiliations of any kind.
AAHL Terminated Association With Chinese Company
AAHL also terminated its association with Chinese company DragonPass, which provides access to airport lounges. The announcement was made by the airport operator company late in the evening on Thursday. DragonPass users were allowed to access the lounges at all the airports operated by AAHL. However, these lounges will be inaccessible for DragonPass users henceforth.
“DragonPass customers will no longer have access to lounges at Adani-managed airports. This change will have no impact on the airport lounge and travel experience for other customers,” said a spokesperson of AAHL.
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