In a massive blow to Celebi Aviation, the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) on Friday said that it has shifted its ground handling operations from Celebi Airport Services to other existing service providers. The development comes after the BIAL ended ties with Celebi Airport Services.
"In compliance with a directive from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Government of India, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) has transitioned it's ground handling operations from Çelebi Airport Services Pvt Ltd, to other existing service providers to ensure continuity and operational stability," the airport said.
The announcement from the airport comes just a day after a national security directive was issued from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
The Central government on May 15 revoked the security clearance for Turkish firm Çelebi Airport Services, a major player at key Indian airports, after Turkey’s support for Pakistan after India's strikes on terrorist camps in response to the Pahalgam attack.
In a statement, the BIAL said that it is committed to maintaining seamless operations throughout this period of transition.
"We are coordinating the transition in collaboration with all the existing aviation stakeholders and government authorities. We remain committed to maintaining seamless operations throughout this period of transition,” the BIAL said.
It should be noted that the Bengaluru airport is the fourth airport to break ties with the Turkish firm after Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad airports. On the other side, the Celebi has been an important player in ground handling and cargo operations at several airports across the country.
The IGI airport in Delhi was the first airport to announce its split from Çelebi. In a statement, the DIAL said it terminated its ties with Çelebi Airport Services India and Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management.
As per the Central government order, Çelebi has been asked to immediately hand over all the ground handling facilities at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) to the company to ensure smooth operations.
