CIAL discontinues services of Turkish firm Celebi after BCAS security directive

Kochi | The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) here on Friday announced it has discontinued the ground handling services of the Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd, in compliance with the recent directives of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) with regard to national security.

The service of the company was formally discontinued from Thursday, the CIAL said in a statement here.

Despite the transition, all operations at CIAL remained fully functional and disruption-free, it said.

"Our teams, in coordination with alternative authorised service providers, ensured uninterrupted performance across all areas," it said.

The CIAL, in the statement, further said it is making long-term arrangements to keep airport operations smooth and efficient.

"All necessary steps are being taken to uphold operational continuity while meeting national regulatory requirements," the airport management added.

Aviation watchdog BCAS on Thursday revoked the security clearance for Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd in the "interest of national security", days after Turkiye backed Pakistan and condemned India's strikes on terror camps in the neighbouring country.

Celebi, operating in the Indian aviation sector for over 15 years and employing over 10,000 people, offers its services at nine airports.

The security clearance to the company, part of Turkiye's Celebi, was given in November 2022.

Celebi handles around 58,000 flights and 5,40,00 tonnes of cargo annually in India, as per its website.

It is present at Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa (GOX), Ahmedabad and Chennai airports.