The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found multiple safety violations in the operations of Turkish Airlines during inspections at four airports from May 29 to June 2.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found multiple safety violations in the operations of Turkish Airlines during surprise inspections of passenger and cargo flights in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru airports from May 29 to June 2, 2025.
According to an official statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the DGCA conducted a Safety Oversight and Ramp inspections under international aviation rules, where it found multiple safety violations.
Among these lapses was marshaller competency in Bengaluru. According to the Ministry, the marshaller, who guided aircraft on the ground, lacked proper authorisation and a valid competency card for marshalling functions.
Another serious breach was when the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) was found unavailable during the arrival of the aircraft, and the arrival procedure was carried out by a technician instead, which went against aviation safety regulations.
A cargo carrying dangerous goods, including explosives, was transported by Turkish Airlines without the required permission from the DGCA, nor was it mentioned in the documents.
The aviation regulator also raised violations in ground handling, saying there was no Service Level Agreement (SLA) was in place between Turkish Airlines and its Ground Handling Agent (GHA).
Equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units (GPUs) lacked proper accountability and monitoring at Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where Globe Ground India was providing ground services without a formal handover from Celebi Aviation, which provides services at nine major Indian airports.
Turkish Airlines has been directed to address these findings promptly and ensure full compliance with Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices as well as DGCA regulations.
Following Turkey’s support for Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd on 15 May, citing national security concerns.
