The specific reasons behind the revocation have not yet been revealed. BCAS and Adani Airport Holdings, operator of Mumbai Chhatrapti Shivaji Maharaj and Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airports, where Çelebi’s ground handling contracts have been terminated, cited “grounds related to national security”.
India’s Economic Times has reported that Indian ground handling firm Indothai has stepped in to take interim charge of Çelebi’s services in Mumbai.
Challenging the decision, Celebi Airport Services India has approached the Delhi High Court. In a May 16 filing seen by Reuters, the company has asked the court to set aside the decision, arguing it would impact 3,791 jobs and investor confidence, and was issued without any warning to the company.
Çelebi Aviation, which has held ground handling contracts at key Indian airports including Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International for more than ten years, defended its “transparency, adherence to ethical principles, and full compliance with legal regulations” in a statement issued on Saturday (17 May).
The 65-year-old company has ground handling and cargo warehouse operations across three continents and six countries (Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Tanzania and Türkiye), serving 70 airports with approximately 16,000 employees.
Çelebi Aviation is majority-owned (65%) by international institutional investors from Canada, the US, Singapore, the UAE, the UK and other western European countries. The remaining 35% is held by the Çelebioğlu family.
Its statement said: “Recently, we received a notification from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) of India regarding the operating permits of some of our subsidiaries. Due to national security concerns, and in accordance with Indian regulations, our ground handling and cargo warehouse operations at the affected airports have been suspended.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and cooperating fully with the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and BCAS, while adhering to all applicable regulations.
“We would like to emphasise that all our operations have always been conducted in strict compliance with the relevant legal requirements. In all countries where we operate, we possess valid licenses and fully comply with applicable security regulations.
“We would also like to highlight that we have never received any warnings or penalties related to national security matters to date.”
Stay tuned to Air Logistics International for further developments.