The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has brought to light a series of serious safety violations by Turkish Airlines at four major Indian airports — Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru — following a series of surprise ramp inspections conducted between May 29 and June 2, 2025.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, these inspections were carried out under Article 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO). The purpose of the audit was to assess compliance with both Indian and international civil aviation safety norms, covering Turkish Airlines' passenger and cargo operations in India.

The findings of these inspections have triggered deep concern within Indian regulatory circles, especially due to the high-risk nature of the identified violations, which include the use of untrained personnel, improper handling of hazardous goods, and non-compliance with mandatory documentation protocols.

Bengaluru Incident: Untrained Marshaller on Duty

Among the most glaring lapses was the incident at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, where a marshaller, the person responsible for guiding aircraft to their designated parking areas, was found to be untrained and lacking the mandatory competency certification.

This constitutes a serious breach of aviation safety norms, as marshallers are directly responsible for preventing collisions on the ground and ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft during taxiing. The lack of certified personnel raises major questions regarding the airline’s internal training procedures and ground safety standards.

Adding to the concerns, it was discovered that aircraft arrival checks — a mandatory step in ensuring aircraft airworthiness before turnaround — were being conducted not by certified Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs), but by technicians, reportedly due to the absence of Airworks, the airline's authorised maintenance service provider.

This circumvention of established procedures compromises both the technical integrity of aircraft and compliance with Indian DGCA guidelines, which mandate that only certified AMEs perform such safety-critical tasks.

Hazardous Cargo Handling Without Approval

In a particularly disturbing revelation, Turkish Airlines was found to be transporting hazardous cargo, including explosives, without obtaining prior approval from the DGCA.

This was accompanied by additional failures such as:

• Incomplete or missing Dangerous Goods Declarations (DGD)

• Omission of explosive substances in cargo documentation

• Lack of supporting documentation, such as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

• Absence of airline personnel trained in handling dangerous goods

Such violations are considered highly dangerous in aviation, given that even minor mishandling of hazardous cargo can result in catastrophic in-flight incidents. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Indian DGCA have strict protocols in place precisely to avoid such scenarios, making Turkish Airlines’ failure to comply a grave risk to passenger and crew safety.

Ground Handling Failures at Hyderabad and Bengaluru

The DGCA also discovered multiple irregularities in ground handling operations at Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports, including:

• No formal Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) between Turkish Airlines and its ground handling partner Globe Ground India

• Use of untracked or unaccounted ground support equipment, such as:

  • Baggage trolleys

  • Aircraft ladders

  • Ground power units (GPUs)

The absence of SLAs implies a lack of defined responsibilities and accountability, which is unacceptable in aviation logistics, where precise roles and timely execution of tasks can be the difference between routine operations and serious lapses.

This is in direct violation of DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and contradicts industry best practices, which mandate strict inventory control and signed contractual agreements for safety and operational assurance.

DGCA's Response and Future Course of Action

In response to these damning findings, the DGCA has directed Turkish Airlines to undertake immediate corrective actions. The regulator has mandated:

• Comprehensive training and recertification of all Turkish Airlines’ ground personnel in India

• Submission of compliance reports detailing the measures taken

• Proper documentation and re-audit of cargo handling procedures

• Establishment of SLAs and equipment tracking systems

The aviation regulator has also committed to enhancing surveillance of foreign airlines operating in India, especially those with a record of non-compliance.

A senior DGCA official stated:

“This is a wake-up call for all international carriers. Indian aviation standards are not negotiable, and any lapses, especially those endangering life and property, will be dealt with firmly.”

Further ramp inspections and regulatory audits have already been scheduled in the coming weeks to ensure corrective measures are implemented in full.

Diplomatic Tensions Add to Strain

Complicating the situation further are the rising diplomatic tensions between India and Turkey. Turkey had recently expressed public support for Pakistan following India’s Operation Sindoor, a military retaliation against cross-border terrorism that killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam on April 22.

India has condemned Turkey’s statements as "deeply provocative and insensitive", leading to calls for a re-evaluation of bilateral aviation ties.

While the DGCA has not linked its inspections directly to these geopolitical developments, Turkish Airlines’ violations are being seen by many experts as reflective of a broader disregard for Indian regulatory standards.

An aviation security analyst commented:

“When diplomatic tensions rise, airlines become soft proxies. Safety violations may have gone unnoticed earlier, but now they are under the microscope.”

Turkish Airlines’ Future in India Under Scrutiny

Turkish Airlines, one of the flagship carriers of Europe and West Asia, has long operated multiple routes connecting Istanbul to key Indian metros. However, the recent DGCA revelations place its future operations under scrutiny.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has reportedly alerted Indian airports and ground handling agencies to tighten oversight on Turkish Airlines operations, and airports have been instructed to submit daily safety compliance reports for the carrier until further notice.

Passenger confidence may also be impacted, with several travel associations urging transparent disclosure of safety improvements by the airline before it continues operations at full scale.

Conclusion: A Call for Stringent Oversight and Global Compliance

The DGCA’s findings against Turkish Airlines underscore the critical need for rigorous oversight of international carriers, especially as Indian aviation infrastructure becomes more integrated with global traffic.

From untrained marshallers and uncertified maintenance personnel, to unapproved transport of explosives, the violations present a chilling picture of disregard for aviation safety norms.

As Indian skies grow busier and geopolitical tensions intensify, strict enforcement of ICAO and DGCA rules will be essential to protect the interests of passengers and maintain India’s reputation as a global aviation hub with uncompromising safety standards.

With the DGCA’s crackdown now public, Turkish Airlines faces a serious credibility challenge—one that will require swift compliance, diplomatic tact, and operational reforms to overcome.

The Upcoming IPOs in this week and coming weeks are Jainik Power Cables, Sacheerome Limited, Victory Electric Vehicles International, Wagons Learning.

The Current active IPO are Ganga Bath Fittings.

Start your Stock Market Journey and Apply in IPO by Opening Free Demat Account in Choice Broking FinX.

Join our Trading with CA Abhay Telegram Channel for regular Stock Market Trading and Investment Calls by CA Abhay Varn - SEBI Registered Research Analyst.