Air India to reassign flight maintenance work done by Turkish company amid growing calls for boycott

Air India is looking to reassign flight maintenance work currently done by a Turkish firm amid a growing diplomatic rift with the other country. The assertion from CEO Campbell Wilson came days after the Indian government asked fellow domestic carrier IndiGo to end its lease with Turkish Airlines. New Delhi had also revoked the security clearance of the Turkish ground-handling company Celebi Aviation last month ‘in the interest of national security’. The developments follow growing calls for a “boycott” of Turkey and Azerbaijan over their support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

“With this most recent development, we will look to recalibrate where we sent our aircraft, reduce the amount that we are sending to Turkiye and send it to other places. But that does take some time because aircraft have to be maintained… we are cognisant of recent developments and we will look to adjust our plans,” Wilson told PTI during an interview.

The airline is now planning to send some of its wide-bodied planes overseas to places in the Middle East, South East Asia and the US for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul work. Some planes will still be sent to the Turkiye-based firm as it will take some time for India to have the capacity to do such works. The Air India CEO and MD reiterated in conversation that it was a global business and a global supply chain.

“It does take a while to adjust when the circumstances change around us but we are obviously sensitive to the national sentiment and perhaps the national wishes. So, regardless of which country we are talking about, we would clearly take cognisance of what people like us to do and expect us to do,” he added.

Air India currently has a fleet of 191 planes including 64 wide-body aircraft.

Meanwhile IndiGo airlines was granted a one-time, last and final extension for its “damp-leased” aircraft from Turkish Airlines on Friday. The lease was initially valid till May 31 and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has reiterated that this was only done to “avoid passenger inconvenience due to immediate flight disruption”.

“This extension is based on the undertaking from the airline that they will terminate the damp lease with Turkish Airlines within this extension period, and shall not seek any further extension for these operations,” the DGCA had added.