Between May 29 and June 2, 2025, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted surprise inspections of passenger and cargo aircraft at the airports in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru, discovering many safety infractions in Turkish Airlines’ operations.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said in an official statement that the DGCA detected many safety violations during a Safety Oversight and Ramp inspection carried out in accordance with international aviation regulations.
Bengaluru’s marshaller ability was one of these shortcomings. The Ministry claims that the marshaller who directed aircraft on the ground did not have the appropriate authorization or a current competency card for marshalling duties.
Another significant violation occurred when the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) was not available when the aircraft arrived, and a technician performed the arrival procedure in violation of aviation safety rules.
Turkish Airlines transported a shipment that contained explosives and other dangerous products without the DGCA’s needed authorization, and the documentation made no mention of it.
The aviation watchdog also brought up ground handling infractions, claiming that Turkish Airlines and its ground handling agent (GHA) did not have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in place.
In Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where Globe Ground India was offering ground services without a formal handover from Celebi Aviation, which operates at nine major Indian airports, equipment like ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units (GPUs) lacked adequate accountability and monitoring.
Turkish Airlines has been instructed to take immediate action to resolve these issues and guarantee complete adherence to the DGCA rules and the Convention on International Civil Aviation’s (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices.
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