Turkish firm Çelebi Aviation faces Shiv Sena ultimatum to exit Mumbai airport. All you need to know

India-Pakistan Conflict: Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) has demanded an immediate termination of a Turkish ground-handling company Çelebi's contract at Mumbai’s international airport.

Citing national security concerns over Turkey’s alleged support for Pakistan in recent drone-related activities from across the border, Shiv Sena leader Murji Patel led a delegation to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), calling for an end to its association with Çelebi NAS Airport Services.

“Turkey may not be firing weapons directly, but supplying drones that are used to target our borders is no less than a hostile act,” Patel, the Shiv Sena (Sinde faction) leader, was quoted as saying in Mumbai earlier this week. The delegation has asked the Mumbai airport to stop the company's contract within 10 days after the protest on May 13. 

“We cannot allow a country that supports our enemy to make money off Indian infrastructure,” said Patel, the MLA from Andheri East Assembly constituency in Mumbai Suburban district. 

10-day Ultimatum

The Sena has given Mumbai International Airport a 10-day deadline to cancel the contract, warning of protests if no action is taken. Patel said the party has already met with the airport’s CEO, who has promised to review the matter and respond within the timeframe.

The ultimatum comes at a time when social media is abuzz with boycott calls for travel to Turkiye. This, because, Turkiye and Azerbaijan are accused of providing military assistance to Pakistan as it tried to swarm the Indian air defence system after India struck terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) during Operation Sindoor on May 7.

#BoycottTurkey 

The number of Indians traveling to these two nations has also dropped in last few days amid boycott calls. According to a statement from MakeMyTrip on May 14, flight bookings to these two nations have dropped by 60 per cent over the past week, while cancellations have jumped 250 per cent.

What is Çelebi aviation?

Headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, Çelebi Aviation stepped into the aviation industry with the establishment of Çelebi Ground Handling on February 1, 1958 at Ankara Airport by Ali Cavit Çelebioğlu as the first privately-owned ground handling services company in the Turkish aviation industry.

Some reports linked the company to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but the company categorically rejected this claim.

“The Turkish shareholding is solely limited to members of the founding Çelebioğlu family; Mr. Can Çelebioğlu and Ms Canan Çelebioğlu (each holding 17.5 per cent)., nor any individuals with the same. The company was originally established in 1958 by their father as Turkey’s first private and independent ground handling company. Both siblings have no political affiliations or associations of any kind,” the firm said in a statement late Thursday evening. 

Today, the firm says, it operates across three continents, in six countries, including India and on 70 stations worldwide. The services include wheelchair assistance, ramps, passenger and cargo handling, warehouse management, bridge operations and airport lounge management, to name a few.

In India, the company entered in 2008 with a joint venture with a mandate to provide comprehensive and ‘world-class’ services at Mumbai International Airport. Since then, it has expanded rapidly.

58K fights, 5.4 Lakh tons of cargo in India

According to Sanjay Lazar, an aviation consultant, Çelebi was granted security clearance at the peak of the post 26/11 attacks, when the UPA government was in power. Many aviation trade unions affiliated to the Shiv Sena under late Balasaheb Thackeray, he said, had opposed the entry of Çelebi at airports across India.

"We even had morchas (protests) etc at Mumbai airport back then. Since then, whenever the issue has surfaced due to India-Turkey problems, they have tried to cover up their Turkish ownership by talking about the parent being owned by Private Equity companies,” he said in a post on X.

In India, the company handles 58,000 fights, 5,40,000 tons of cargo and has about 7,800 employees, the website says.

“From passenger services and load control from flight operations to ramp services, the company handles general aviation services, cargo and postal services, warehouses and bridge operations from end-to-end,” said a Mumbai airport official who did not want to be named. “Boycotts don't happen overnight.”

Presence at 9 airports in India

Today, Çelebi has presence at 9 airports in India – Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad and Chennai. It provides ground handling as Çelebi Airport Services India and cargo services as Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India at Delhi.

“I think Indigo is the only airline that has its own ground staff. The airlines may be in talks with the company. It cannot happen overnight, given the huge presence that the company has. Yes, there is national sentiment, but it takes time,” the official said.

Çelebi Aviation India unequivocally refutes all misleading, and factually incorrect allegations circulating on social media regarding the company’s ownership and operations in India. We would like to place on record the facts surrounding our ownership structure and long-standing presence in the country.

'Not a Turkish organisation'

The company in its statement said Çelebi Aviation India is a professionally governed, globally operated aviation services company. “Today, it is majority-owned (65 per cent) by international institutional investors from across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Western Europe. Actera Partners II L.P, a Jersey-registered fund holds 50 per cent ownership in Çelebi Havacılık Holding A.Ş. The remaining 15 per cent is held by Alpha Airport Services BV, a Dutch-registered entity,” it said.

Çelebi’s business in India is truly an Indian enterprise, led and managed by Indian professionals, deeply invested in the country, and committed to its growth, it said. We are not a Turkish organisation, said the statement, by any standard and adhere fully to globally accepted practices of corporate governance, transparency, and neutrality, with no political affiliations or links to any foreign government or individuals.

“The Turkish shareholding is solely limited to members of the founding Çelebioğlu family; Mr Can Çelebioğlu and Ms Canan Çelebioğlu (each holding 17.5 per cent)., nor any individuals with the same. The company was originally established in 1958 by their father as Turkey’s first private and independent ground-handling company. Both siblings have no political affiliations or associations of any kind,” the firm said in the statement.