India has issued a warning to Turkish Airlines after surprise inspections at four airports uncovered violations, including an instance where explosives were allegedly transported on a flight without proper disclosure.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out “safety oversight and ramp” inspections of Turkish Airlines’ passenger and cargo flights at Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru between May 29 and June 2. The airline’s operations in India will remain under scrutiny, with the DGCA planning follow-up inspections as needed to ensure ongoing safety compliance.
The aviation ministry stated that the cargo included dangerous goods, specifically explosives, which require prior permission from the DGCA for transport to or from India. However, no such approval was attached, nor was the item listed in the dangerous goods declaration.
At Bengaluru, the inspection found that the marshaller overseeing ground operations lacked both proper authorisation and a valid competency card for marshalling duties. Additionally, no maintenance engineer was present during the aircraft’s arrival, and the procedure was instead handled by a technician. The report also noted that Turkish Airlines had no service-level agreement with its ground handling agent, and the ground equipment lacked proper accountability and monitoring. Senior officials stated that the inspections were carried out on aircraft operated by Turkish Airlines.
After the inspections, the DGCA instructed Turkish Airlines to strictly comply with ICAO standards and Indian aviation regulations. The regulator also announced that follow-up inspections will be conducted to monitor ongoing compliance and urged the airline to promptly rectify the identified deficiencies.
Following Turkey’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and the use of Turkish drones by Pakistan, New Delhi is reassessing its relationship with Istanbul. Last month, security clearance for Turkish ground handler Celebi was revoked, forcing it to cease operations at nine Indian airports. Additionally, the DGCA instructed IndiGo to end its wet-lease agreement for two Boeing 777s from Turkish Airlines by August 31, 2025, granting a “last and final three-month extension.” This extension was approved only after IndiGo provided an undertaking to terminate the lease within this period and not seek any further extensions.
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