Ground handling firm Celebi NAS Airport Services, which is in the eye of storm over its Turkish ownership, has said it has no political affiliation or alignment with views of any foreign country.
Tauseef Khan, the CEO of its ground handling operations in India, said this in a letter to Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) following a call by a Shiv Sena leader for suspension of their operations.
Celebi Aviation provides passenger and cargo handling services in nine airports in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad among others. In Mumbai it’s operations are run in a joint venture with NAS which is owned by Kuwait-based firm Agility.
Following Turkey’s condemnation of Operation Sindoor, Celebi Aviation has come under public glare. On social media there some netizens have raised alarm that firm’s presence at sensitive airports could be used for snooping.
“Our business in India is truly an Indian business and is headed and managed by Indian citizens. All our investments were made through Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearances as per FDI norms and none of the board directors are Turkish nationals as is being alleged. We are security cleared by the relevant regulatory bodies in India,” Khan wrote in a letter to MIAL on Monday.
Khan said 65 per cent of ultimate shareholding of Celebi Aviation is held by international investors. He added Celebi NAS is purely a business organisation having no political affiliation or alignment with views of any foreign country or government.
The company’s defence comes after a Shiv Sena delegation led by MLA Murji Patel met MIAL CEO Vishnu Jha. In his representation Patel demanded termination of Celebi NAS’s ground handling contract in ten days owing to security concerns.