The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found deficiencies in a safety oversight and ramp inspections it conducted on passenger and cargo flights of Turkish Airlines.
The inspections, spread over five days, were carried out in Delhi, Hyderabad Chennai and Bengaluru to ensure compliance with both international and national safety regulations, the regulator said in a statement.
As per the findings, the marshaller handling ground operations at the Bengaluru airport lacked proper authorisation and a valid competency card for marshalling functions. A marshaller is a person who visually guides aircraft on the ground, particularly during taxiing and parking manoeuvres.
The regulator also found that during the arrival of the aircraft, the aircraft maintenance engineer was unavailable and the arrival procedure was carried out by a technician instead. Airworks is the authorised engineering service provider for Turkish Airlines.
Also, the airline did not seek permission from the DGCA to transport goods classified under the dangerous category. The airline also failed to declare the same.
Finally, DGCA found that no service level agreement was in place between Turkish Airlines and its ground handling agent.
“Equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and ground power units lacked proper accountability and monitoring at Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where Globe Ground India was providing ground services without formal handover from Celebi,” DGCA said.
The safety audit comes less than a week after the DGCA nodded for the ‘last and final’ three-month extension to Turkish Airlines’ partner IndiGo to use the former’s two leased Boeing 777 aircraft. The Indian carrier will have to return the aircraft on or before August 31, 2025.
“The DGCA emphasizes its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and regulatory compliance of all foreign operators within Indian airspace. Turkish Airlines has been directed to address these findings promptly and ensure full compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices as well as DGCA regulations,” DGCA added.
Further follow-up inspections will be conducted as necessary to ensure continuous safety oversight.