After Delhi High Court, Celebi moves Bombay High Court against India security clearance revocation, airport contract cancellations

“Now, regarding our Mumbai operations; our subsidiary Celebi Nas Airport Services India Private Limited (‘Celebi Nas’) in which our Company holds 59% of the capital filed three different lawsuits before the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Mumbai on 21.05.2025,” parent company Celebi Hava Servisi said in a regulatory filing in Turkey on Thursday.

The three cases include a lawsuit seeking the suspension and annulment of the security clearance cancellation by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and two arbitration applications against Adani group-owned MIAL seeking the annulment of its termination of contracts with Celebi Nas, and urgent interim measures to restrain MIAL to conclude the tenders for selection of new ground handling agency for the Mumbai airport.

The first case has been filed against the Union of India, BCAS, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the regional office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

Amid the backlash in India over Turkey’s support for Pakistan in the India-Pakistan conflict, India’s aviation security regulator BCAS last Thursday revoked the security clearance of an Indian arm—Celebi Airport Services India—of Celebi on grounds related to “national security” with immediate effect. The revocation also applies to other associate entities of Çelebi in India. This led to Indian airports where Celebi group operated terminating their contracts with group companies. Defending itself, Çelebi Airport Services India said that it is “truly an Indian enterprise” led and managed by Indian professionals, and is “not a Turkish organisation by any standard”.

The airports and airlines that were working with Çelebi are turning to the other major ground handling players in India’s aviation sector like AI Airport Services, Air India SATS Airport Services, and the Bird group. Ground handling refers to operations that are critical for flights to be prepared and operated. These include passenger handling and check-in, baggage handling, cargo handling and management, aircraft servicing and maintenance, ramp services, and catering.

India is a key market for Celebi. According to the company’s regulatory filings, in its consolidated revenue of around $585 million in 2024, its five Indian arms—Celebi Airport Services India, Celebi GH India, Celebi Nas Airport Services India, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India, and Celebi GS Chennai cumulatively accounted for a 33.8 per cent share, which comes out to over $195 million. Çelebi operated at nine Indian airports—Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kannur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Goa (Mopa)—and its operations at these airports were distributed among the five subsidiaries, the biggest being Celebi Airport Services India that was operating at six Indian airports.

Celebi Airport Services India said that it is a globally operated aviation services company with no political links or affiliation, and is majority-owned by international institutional investors. The company also termed as “factually incorrect” the allegations about its ownership that have been doing rounds on social media. These include the claim that Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar—daughter of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—is a part owner in Çelebi. The company categorically rejected this claim.