India revokes security clearance of Turkish airport service firm Çelebi’s India arm
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New Delhi: New Delhi has revoked security clearance given to Turkish airport services firm Celebi Aviation citing ‘national security’ reasons amid growing call in the country for boycotting Turkey following its support to Pakistan in the recent conflict.
The Union civil aviation ministry reported the decision by the Bureau of Civil and Aviation Security (BCAS) to revoke the firm’s security clearance just as a large number of Indians cancelled their planned trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan after both countries supported Pakistan.
MakeMyTrip posted a decline of 60% in bookings to Turkey and to Azerbaijan over the past week as cancellations alongside rose by 250%, PTI reported.
Alongside these developments, the ceremony for the Turkish ambassador-designate to present his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu is also reportedly postponed.
Meanwhile three universities the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad and the Jawaharlal Nehru University have suspended memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Turkish institutions, citing ‘national security considerations’.
The Bureau of Civil and Aviation Security (BCAS) in its notice reportedly said that the Turkey-based Celebi Aviation firm was given security clearance for carrying out the role as a ground handling agency in November 2022.
Civil aviation minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said in a press release that ‘Nothing is above the security of our nation’ adding ‘national security and public safety are paramount and non-negotiable’.
It is reported citing the release that alternative arrangements are in place to handle passengers and cargo.
Responding to BCAS’s decision, Celebi’s India wing in a statement ‘unequivocally refutes all misleading and factually incorrect allegations’ against the firm, adding that its facilities are governed and audited by Indian authorities, including the BCAS.
Celebi’s India wing further said that is ‘not a Turkish organisation by any standard’ instead claiming it is “truly an Indian enterprise, led by and managed by Indian professionals, deeply invested in the country and committed to its growth’.