India’s Strike back against Turkey for Helping Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 15: India which went out of the way to help Turkey when it was hit by a massive earthquake last year and was shocked to see the country helping Pakistan with arms and ammunition during India’s strike against terror under “Operation Sindoor,” has slowly started taking steps to hit the country back.
The aviation watchdog the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Thursday revoked the permit of Çelebi Ground Handling India Pvt Ltd – operating under the umbrella of Turkiye’s Çelebi Aviation Holding at major Indian airports – “in the interest of national security” with immediate effect while many tourists have cancelled their bookings to Turkey and several prominent universities in India have cancelled tie-ups and programmes with Turkey’s educational institutions over the West Asian nation’s military support to Pakistan.
This comes after Turkiye backed Pakistan and condemned India’s recent strikes on terror camps in that country and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor. Pakistan also used Turkish drones on a large scale in the conflict.
According to top government sources, the BCAS found certain lapses in the handling of aviation services by the Turkish company. They said its security clearance was removed due to geographical risks, as civil aviation is a sensitive sector with a number of operations and Turkiye provided weapons to the “enemy country” (Pakistan).
A notification issued with the approval of the director general of the BCAS stated that Celebi’s security clearance, which was originally granted on November 21, 2022, has been revoked with immediate effect in the interest of national security.
“In the exercise of power conferred upon DG, BCAS, the security clearance in r/o Celebi Airport Services India Pvt. Ltd is hereby revoked with immediate effect in the interest of National Security,” the notification said.
The aviation service company operates at nine airports, including New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. It provides ground handling and cargo services across major Indian airports in Mumbai, Cochin, Kannur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad and Chennai.
Earlier, government sources had suggested that India will be reviewing contracts given to the firm. They had said the government will begin by reviewing financial relations where national security is directly linked as Celebi falls under that category.
Celebi began operations in India in 2008. Its services include passenger handling, ramp operations, load control, flight operations, cargo and postal services, warehouse management, bridge-mounted equipment, and general aviation support. It handles over 58,000 flights and 5,40,000 tons of cargo annually in India, employing around 7,800 staff.
Celebi Aviation Holding is a Turkish-origin company specialising in integrated ground handling services. Founded in 1958 as Turkey’s first privately-owned ground handling firm, Celebi has grown into a global aviation services provider offering ramp handling, passenger and cargo operations, warehouse management, bridge operations, general aviation, and premium airport lounge services. With over 15,000 employees, Celebi operates across 3 continents, in 6 countries, and at 70 stations worldwide.
The company came to India with the aim of delivering comprehensive and world-class ground handling services. Soon after, the company formally established two separate entities – Celebi Airport Services India to manage ground handling operations and Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India to oversee cargo services at Delhi International Airport. Over the last decade, Celebi’s footprint in India has grown significantly.
Celebi Aviation carries out several high-security tasks at Indian airports that are critical to the safe and efficient functioning of airport operations. These include ramp services, which involve directing aircraft on the ground; load control and flight operations to ensure proper aircraft balance; and bridge operations, which manage the passenger boarding bridges connected to aircraft.
The company also handles cargo and postal services, along with warehouse management, both of which require strict security protocols due to the movement and storage of sensitive goods. Celebi also oversees general aviation services, often involving private or VIP flights.
Meanwhile, after the Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), several other educational institutions including the Jamia Millia Islamia based in Delhi and the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad on Thursday announced immediate cancellation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turkish institutes as a mark of protest against Turkiye’s support to Pakistan.
The JNU had on Wednesday scrapped the MoU with Turkey’s Inonu University, while Jamia has suspended any form of collaboration with any Turkish educational institution and also any collaboration with any Turkish establishment.
In a statement issued to the media, MANUU communicated its decision to effectively terminate a five-year academic collaboration with the Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) which was signed on January 2, 2024. According to The YEI website, the Institute is affiliated to the Yunus Emre Foundation, and has been engaged in teaching Turkish at cultural centres established in other countries so as to promote that language and Turkish culture.
