After India’s Security Ban, Celebi Scrambles To Deny Ties With Erdogan Family But Avoids Full Disclosure On Companies' Finances

Turkish firm Celebi India has responded to the Delhi International Airport Limited's (DIAL) move to end ties with the firm and has reaffirmed its commitment to Indian aviation, saying the Turkish shareholding of the company is solely limited to the members of the founding Celebioglu family.

What Did Celebi Say In Response?

As a response to this significant move by the DIAL, Celebi has said that all of these allegations are misleading and factually incorrect.

"We would like to place on record the facts surrounding our ownership structure and long-standing presence in the country. Celebi Aviation India is a professionally governed, globally operated aviation services company. Today, it is majority-owned (65%) 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% ownership in Celebi Havacilik Holding AS The remaining 15% is held by Alpha Airport Services BV, a Dutch-registered entity," Celebi said in a statement.

While the firm has categorically termed the claims of Erdogan's daughter being a part of the company 'false',  it has maintained stark silence on the company's finances as well as investors.

Presently several airports have suspended their ties and ground handling agreements with Celebi, with the DIAL starting the trend and Adani Airports Holdings following suit with Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA).

Why Prompted DIAL To End Ties With Celebi?

On Thursday, DIAL had announced that it has officially ended its association with Celebi Airport Services for ground and cargo operations at the IGI airport directions from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) concerning national security.

The BCAS took swift action against the Turkish firm Celebi, which is responsible for cargo operations at several critical airports across the country by revoking its security clearance in the interest of national security as Turkey played a key role I helping Pakistan during conflict with India.

DIAL in its statement issued on Thursday said, "To ensure seamless operations, we are actively coordinating with our existing service partners and a pre-approved cargo handler."

DIAL added that all current Celebi employees involved in airport services will be transitioned to the new employers immediately, without any changes to the terms and conditions of employment.

The airport continues to remain operational, amidst all of this.

Also Read: Adani Airports Terminates Partnership with Celebi for Mumbai and Ahmedabad Airports