Turkey’s Celebi Aviation Moves to Delhi HC Against Govt’s Decision to Halt Its India Biz

Celebi Aviation, the Turkey government-backed ground handling firm, has challenged the Indian government’s decision to revoke its security clearance in the Delhi High Court. The firm, in its petition, has claimed that the reason cited by the government for revocation is vague. The company in a statement also highlighted that the government’s move has impacted its operations at major airports in the country, Reuters reported. 

Casting aspersions on the government’s rationale behind the decision, the Turkey-based firm said “the national security reason for revocation is vague” in its filing, reviewed by Reuters. 

Celebi’s move comes after the government revoked the security clearance mandatory for the firm to run business in India on May 15. The government’s decision reportedly came after several Indian airlines approached the ministry of civil aviation to revoke Celebi’s clearance proposal.

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“We have received requests from across India to ban Celebi...Recognising the seriousness of the issue and the call to protect national interests, we have taken cognizance of these requests,” said Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on X. 

Billionaire Gautam Adani-led Adani Airport terminated the ground handling concession agreement with Celebi and Chinese company DragonPass.

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“Following the government of India’s decision to revoke Celebi’s security clearance, we have terminated the ground handling concession agreements with Celebi,” said an Adani Airports spokesperson, according to cnbctv18. 

This development comes after Turkey’s open support for Pakistan amid the escalating tensions with India. Turkey’s stance met with severe criticism in India, with hashtags like boycott Turkey trending across social media platforms, especially after reports circulated that Pakistan used Turkish drones to launch an attack on India. 

The wave of criticism against Turkey has taken a toll on Celebi, which is a big name when it comes to ground handling in India. The company made its India business debut in 2008 and since then has been on an expansion spree. It has its presence in major airports in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.